Tyna Válað
by LoquaciousQuibbler
Summary: A collection of spinoff oneshots for the people who wished a happier ending for Battle of Wits. Oneshots where things are different: Loki and Naomi can be together. Pure fluff, angst, and humor. Not "cannon," just a balm for the Naoki withdrawals some may have. Let the snowball fights and rainy days and bantering begin.
1. Chapter 1

**Before we begin…**

 **This shall be a collection of oneshots involving Loki and my OC Naomi Carson, from my story** _ **Battle of Wits. You also might know her from my various humor fics. In any case, this shall be a collection of random oneshots, really just fluff, some angst,**_ A little humor, and whatever else I decide to throw in there. This entire story goes out to all the people who were oh-so-disappointed with the less-than-happy ending of _Battle of Wits._ Here is your balm, your feast to ease the hunger for Naoki. Shall we begin? I think we shall. Enjoy.

Tyna Válað

Naomi's Point of View

"Loki?" I asked softly.

"Yes, Naomi?" he responded quietly.

I looked up from the screen of my phone and to the other side of the couch, where he sat with a book of Shakespeare's complete works. As if he could sense my eyes on him, he lifted his gaze to mine and raised a single eyebrow in question.

"Yes, Naomi?" he repeated slowly.

"Destiny. Do you believe in it?" I asked, looking at him curiously as I swept a strand of hair out of my eyes and tilted my head slightly.

His brow furrowed a tiny bit as he looked at me. "Do I believe in destiny?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Do you think everything we do is predetermined, fated to happen, that we're just running the track that's already set down for us? Or do you think we're free to actually make our own choices in life, which changes our lives for good or for bad?"

"…Terribly random and deep subject to be bringing up so suddenly," Loki observed mildly. "Not that that would be anything new for you."

I smiled faintly. "No. Nothing new. But really. Destiny. Yay or nay?"

"Dare I ask what brought on this question?" he inquired.

I shrugged. "I was reading something on my phone. There's this quote from Albert Einstein. Here," I motioned for him to come closer and read it.

He snapped the Shakespeare book shut and scooted over to me, leaning over my shoulder to read the quote displayed in the middle of the screen.

I held back a smile at his closeness. It still always gave me jitters, especially when he was looking over my shoulder. And the feeling of the energy vibrating between us was veritably palpable.

"Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control," Loki read aloud from the screen. "It is determined for the insect, as well as for the star. Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper. Albert Einstein." Loki scoffed and then drew away, meeting my eyes again. "Well, Naomi, what do _you_ think?"

I smirked. "Personally, I'm not a fan of the pipe. I'd rather dance to something else than a piper's tune."

Loki snorted. " _That's_ what you get out of the quote?"

I shook my head. "No. What I get out of the quote is that someone thinks we're all forced to dance to a tune we may or may not like. I don't like that idea. I don't like the idea of destiny. I like the idea of my being able to _choose_ which songs to dance to. And if a piper's piping away at his pipe, then I think I'll go off and play a kazoo for myself and dance to that instead."

Loki chuckled at that. "A kazoo, hmm? I disagree with your choice of instrument, but I see your point."

"Besides being half-decent at drums, the only instrument I can play is the kazoo," I shrugged indifferently. "Anyways. What do _you_ think?"

He cocked his head to one side and looked at me critically, evidently thinking of exactly how he wanted to word his answer. I said nothing, waiting patiently as his eyes roved my face, like his answer might be found there. After a long moment, a trace of a smile flickered on his lips. " _Tyna válað," he murmured decidedly._

I blinked in confusion and frowned. "…What?" I said blankly.

"I said, _tyna válað,"_ he repeated with a look of satisfaction. "It's… Old Norse."

"Ah," I nodded exaggeratedly. "That explains _everything,_ Loki," I gave him a look as I raised my eyebrows, words laden with sarcasm.

"Good to know," he nodded. "Then I think your question has been cleared up."

"Hey, I was being sarcastic!" I protested quickly. "That _doesn't_ answer my question in the least! What does… What does _tyna válað_ mean?"

Loki let out a breath of laughter and shook his head at me, as if I was silly for not understanding Old Norse. "I've a quote for _you_ to consider, Naomi." He reached over to the book of Shakespeare's complete works, and he took a moment to flip through it. "Here. Julius Caesar. It is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves." He looked up at me again. " _Tyna válað._ See, Shakespeare got it."

"Shakespeare didn't write in Old Norse," I pointed out. "And you'll notice that nowhere in all of Julius Caesar did it say _tyna válað_ anywhere in that play." I wasn't even sure if I was pronouncing the phrase correctly, but I tried my best. "So what's it mean?"

He just laughed softly and shook his head again. And then he stood from the couch and held a hand out to me, which I hesitantly took. He pulled me up to a standing position and kissed my cheek. "It means, Naomi, that no one can tell us what we have to do. That _we_ decide, and there aren't any pipers intoning tunes in the distance for us to dance to. It means you can go play your kazoo if you want to. That's what it means."

I raised my eyebrows at him and tried to suppress my smile. "Is this leading up to you telling me the exact translation, or do you feel like being enigmatic?"

"You love it when I'm enigmatic," he grinned confidently.

"Maybe," I conceded.

"Most certainly," he grinned. "Now… _tyna válað_ means that we can throw ideas of fate and predetermined lives to the wind. _Tyna válað_ means… forget destiny."

"Forget destiny?" I blinked, looking up at him with intrigue.

"Forget it entirely. It doesn't exist. No such thing as destiny. We decide," he nodded assuredly.

I smiled back at him. "I like it. _Tyna válað._ Forget destiny."

"I like it, too," Loki agreed.

"And now that we have forgotten destiny," I smiled slightly. "What shall we do with our unfettered lives?"

"Why, whatever we wish," he shrugged. "Such a beautiful idea, isn't it? Anything."

 **Note from LoquaciousQuibbler: Well, then. This one was really only written as a bit of an explanation for the title of this story, but I hope you enjoyed it all the same. The quotes in this story (from Shakespeare's** _ **Julius Caesar**_ **and from Albert Einstein) were both retrieved from the internet, so they may be paraphrased or not entirely accurate. I got them both from Good Reads. Com. From what I know, Tyna Válað is indeed Old Norse for "Forget destiny." My source for various words in Old Norse is Vikings Of Bjornstad. Com. It has an extensive dictionary of Old Norse to English, though I'm not entirely sure just how accurate it is. Point being that the entire point of this story will be to forget how destiny shaped the fates of Loki and Naomi in** _ **Battle of Wits,**_ **and to simply enjoy the far happier fates I forged for them in fluff/angst/humor oneshots contained here. I hope you'll all appreciate them. Let me know what you think. I may accept requests for oneshots at some point, but first I have a couple of oneshots I've already written that I shall post. I'll be updating soon**

 **Please favorite, follow, and leave me a review.**


	2. Chapter 2

The Snowball Fight

Naomi's Point of View

A large group of children shrieked loudly as they ran around, kicking up flurries of snow behind them as they threw handfuls of snow at each other. Occasionally, one would fall, only to scramble up and make more snowballs to throw at their pursuers.

I watched them from across the park, where Loki and I sat together on a bench, I drinking my hot chocolate and he drinking his coffee.

"I remember doing that when I was a kid," I grinned, sipping my hot chocolate.

"Remember doing what?" Loki asked.

I rolled my eyes and nodded towards the group of kids. "Snowball fights. Willow and I would get together with the neighborhood kids at the local park when it snowed, and have snowball fights. Sometimes we would divide into teams, sometimes it was just a free for all. Something about chucking snow at other people is really fun when you're a kid."

Loki looked skeptically at the throng, running wildly about in a crowd with snowballs being thrown randomly. "I don't really see how it would be very fun. NO one would get seriously injured, and it doesn't seem like there would be a clear winner. What would be the point?"

I let out an exasperated sigh. "No one has to die or win to have fun. Besides, the real fun in it is just getting to hit people with the snowballs." He still looked doubtful, so I stood up, walked a few feet away, knelt down, and started gathering some of the snow in my hands.

"What are you doing?" he asked in an alarmed voice.

"Starting a snowball fight," I answered, flashing him a dazzling smile, and holding up my freshly made snowball.

"No, Naomi. It's childish, pointless, and I'm not interested in such things," Loki said sternly, giving me a look.

I raised my eyebrows. "You're not interested in such things?"

"NO, I'm not."

"You wouldn't participate in a snowball fight?" I asked.

"No, I wouldn't."

I smiled deviously. "You're saying you would pass up a fight. You're saying I could chuck all the snowballs I wanted at you, and you wouldn't retaliate or fight back or anything?"

Loki looked at me suspiciously.

"Works for me," I launched the snowball, throwing it as hard as I could, then turned and fled as I heard it make contact.

"Naomi, I am going to get you!" Loki bellowed, chasing after me.

I laughed and made a hairpin curve, doubling back to throw him off. I bent double as I streaked past him, grabbing another handful of snow. AS I straightened, a snowball hit my hip.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, jumping back and trying to brush the snow off my jeans. I quickly formed another snowball and threw it at Loki, but it went _through_ him. "You son of a-" I broke off as another snowball hit my back. I whirled around. Of course, the real Loki was standing there, laughing. "Smeg you!" I shouted as I threw another snowball, and this one made contact, hitting him squarely in the chest even as he tried to duck away.

As he started to make another snowball, I transformed into a cat and raced away. I clawed my way up an oak tree so I would have the advantage of height. A snowball hit the bark next to me, and I hissed in surprise, but climbed higher. I resumed human form when I was about twelve feet off the ground, and was balanced carefully on a branch. I scooped snow off the branch and formed it into a sloppy ball. My real hope was to lure him under the tree, then simply shake the branch, showering snow down upon anyone silly enough to pass underneath. But Loki was smarter than that. He stayed on the outskirts of the trees branches and refused to come closer.

"I do have common sense, you know," Loki called to me. "I'm not going to be lured into your trap and go underneath the branch you're on."

Disappointed, I threw my snowball at him, but it missed by a few inches, whizzing past his shoulder. Loki made another snowball and tried to aim for me on the branch, but I quickly climbed up higher, so I was sheltered by the leaves. "Looks like we're at a stalemate," I called down to him.

"No, I simply have you cornered," Loki corrected me. "I could wait you out down here if I wanted. You're trapped up there."

"You think so, do you?" I asked, grinning slyly.

"Yes, I do think so."

"Well, then, I hate to break it to you, but you're badly deluded," I called down.

"How so?" he asked, but before he finished his question, I had turned into a cat and bounded down from the tree, running as soon as my paws hit the ground.

I heard him curse and run after me once more.

I ducked behind a tree for cover, then transformed into a human, formed a snowball, and peeked around the tree. I saw Loki dash behind another tree for shelter at the last moment before I launched my icy missile. With a grin, I made another snowball so I had one in each hand. Then I sped out of my hiding place towards his

I threw mine the same time he threw his snowballs, and we both aimed well. Mine hit him in the chest, while his hit me on the shoulder.

I gasped as the cold snow seeped through my jacket and got to my skin. I skipped backwards as Loki prepared another snowball. I grabbed a handful and flung it at him before dashing away again, trying to evade his onslaught. I ran into the midst of snowball fighting children and shouted "Get him!" and pointed over my shoulder at Loki.

The kids, of course, having been given permission to throw snowballs at an adult, weren't going to pass up the opportunity. I laughed along with the kids as they pelted Loki with snowballs. I dove behind a fort they had made as the kids split into teams, some joining Loki, others with me.

"Hi," I greeted the kids who joined my side of the battle behind the snow fort.

"Do you _like_ him?" a young girl asked me as we formed a supply of ammo for our team.

"Of course I do," I grinned. "He's my boyfriend."

"Then why are we trying to get him?" she asked.

"Because he doesn't think a snowball fight would be fun," I explained breathlessly, peeking over the edge of the fort and lobbing a snowball towards the other team.

"Ooh," the other kids nodded, comprehending.

"We'll show him!" the girl said defiantly, throwing a snowball towards Loki and hitting him in the knee before he managed to duck behind the other team's fort.

It was trench warfare within a matter of minutes; each team hid behind a fort, unable to come out for fear of becoming a human snow cone. All we could do was throw snowballs as high and far as we could, hoping it would make it over the others' fort and hit them.

"Now _this_ is a stale mate," I muttered, forming another snowball.

"What do we do, Commander?" a boy asked with a quick salute.

About ten minutes ago, they had started calling me commander and saluting me. Worked for me if it worked for them, I guess.

"I think we're going to have to send out an ambush party," I strategized, brushing snow off my hands. "We're going to have to sacrifice a few people as a decoy, then have a group circle around and attack from behind."

The kids exchanged nervous glances. "Sacrifice a few?" one asked doubtfully.

"Yeah, you're just gonna have to get hit by a few snowballs for a minute to distract them while the ambush sneaks away. Just for a minute," I assured them. "Then you can dive back behind the fort."

No one volunteered.

"Bribery it is," I sighed, pulling my wallet out of my jeans. "First five to volunteer to be target practice gets a dollar."

After a few dollars had been handed out, I elected a few other kids to come with me for the sneak attack. On my signal, the decoy party charged out from behind the fort, running straight for Loki's team's fort. They were immediately pelted with snowballs. During the distraction, six kids and I dashed away a safe distance and began to circle around to attack from behind the other team's fort. Our arms full of snowballs, we crunched through the snow quietly as we could, trying not to draw the attention of the shouting and shrieking kids and Loki.

"Hey, commander?" a girl about eleven years old whispered to me.

"What's up, Private" I asked.

"Is your boyfriend going to break up with you if we beat him?"

I grinned. "Maybe. If he does, we'll just hit him with more snowballs, right?"

The group smiled deviously and nodded.

When we were about ten feet behind Loki's fort, I signaled for my team to split up and take cover behind trees. Immediately, they did, trying hard not to giggle.

"And…" I waited a moment. " _Fire!_ " I shouted, and we started chucking snowballs at the other team, no longer protected by their fort.

Snowballs flew in every direction as Loki's team realized what was happening and fired back at us. Still, we had had the element of surprise on our side, and had hit hard and fast. Some surrendered, some simply ran off, my team running after them, doubled over with laughter but still trying to aim snowballs.

But I didn't see Loki. The teams had mostly disbanded now and were either flinging snow randomly or otherwise lying in the snow, exhausted, but I stayed behind my tree, looking around for Loki. Then a snowball hit me squarely in the stomach. "Hey!" I yelled, looking around to see where it had come from.

Loki stood leaning against a tree, looking at me with raised eyebrows. "Well played, Naomi, but I think I've got the last laugh today."

"You-!" I charged at him and grabbed his wrist as he tried to run away. "You're not going anywhere," I said threateningly, holding on tightly to his wrist as he struggled to free his wrist from my grasp.

As he tried to back away from me, he tripped over a tree root and toppled backwards, pulling me down with him. WE landed, breathless, and laughed.

I stared at him, grinning, for a second, still laying on top of him, where we had fallen.

He smirked back at me and raised his head to give me a kiss, but stopped as all the kids started laughing.

We both looked up at them. There were several different reactions to our almost-kiss: some were giggling or laughing, a few were making that 'eww, kisses,' face, and others were waiting expectantly, as if hoping to see the kiss.

Loki and I glanced awkwardly at each other and shrugged. I rolled off him back onto the snowy ground and started making a snow angel. The kids just laughed again and wandered off.

Still tired and breathless from the snowball fight, I propped myself up on an elbow and turned to Loki. "Well, then," I raised my eyebrows. "Snowball fights. Pointless, childish, and no fun, huh?"

He smiled reluctantly. "I hate it when you're right. I hope you know that."

I shrugged. "Yeah, I know. Doesn't stop me from being right all the time."

Loki leaned in and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before standing up and then pulling me up with him.

Then, soaked, covered in snow, and half frozen but happy, we walked off hand in hand.

 **Note from LoquaciousQuibbler: Ah, the quintessential fluff scenario… the classic snowball fight, Naoki style. This is something I wrote a long time ago… like, before I even finished** _ **Battle of Wits.**_ **Possibly** __ **even before I started** _ **posting Battle of Wits.**_ **So… yeah. I hope it was enjoyable and sufficiently cute, even if it's practically summer by now. Lol I guess if it gets too hot wherever it is you live, you can just imagine being in a snowball fight with Naoki and a bunch of random and adorable children, eh?**

 **Please favorite, follow, and leave a review.**


	3. Chapter 3

Engaged

Third-Person Point of View

Naomi's amber eyes widened as she looked at the ring in the department store. It was gold, and was shaped to look like a slender, delicate tiger of pure gold was wrapped around your finger. Gorgeous, and perfect for Naomi Carson, the Huntress.

She plucked the ring out of the velvet cushion it was displayed in and inspected it. Yeah, this had to be hers. It was the only one of its kind on display, and it wasn't too badly priced. She took it over to the cashier and made her purchase.

Later, in Stark Tower, Naomi sat in her room, unpacking bags of random purchases, mostly consisting of candy, soda, some video games, and a couple of books, along with a couple of puzzles and mind game books for Loki, her boyfriend, for lack of a better word. She had almost forgotten about the gorgeous golden ring until she pulled the little box out.

"Oh, yeah," she grinned and opened it, extracting the ring and inspecting it again. She frowned and tried to slip it onto the first finger of her right hand. It didn't fit. "Smeg," she muttered bitterly. Dang it, her right hand was bigger than her left since she was right-handed. Still, her left hand might…

Naomi tried to slip the ring onto her first finger. It wouldn't make it past her knuckle. She let out a disappointed whimper. She tried it on her middle finger with no success, and then on her ring finger. She grinned as it slid onto the finger easily.

"Success," she sang quietly to herself, and then hummed the victory jingle from old Final Fantasy games. She smiled proudly and continued putting away everything else.

She picked up the bag of puzzles and mind boggler books and exited her room, heading for Loki's. She knocked on the door, but there was no answer.

"Your boyfriend's in the living room," Tony called from the room across the hall. "He said he wanted to ask you something, by the way. I don't know what, but he was asking if you were back yet, and he said he'd be waiting in the living room."

"How did you know I was looking for him?" Naomi called, crossing the hall and peeking into Tony's room. He was in the corner on a computer.

"You mean besides the fact that you were knocking on his door?" he asked sarcastically, turning to look at her.

Naomi rolled her eyes. "How'd you know it was me? You can't see the hall from where you're sitting."

"Oh, yeah, that. I kind of set up a camera in front of your room and one in front of Loki's room. Thor and I call them the Naoki cams. I spend a lot of time watching them, and show Thor the highlights." He gestured vaguely to the computer screen he sat in front of.

Naomi looked affronted. "You spy on us?"

"Only outside your rooms. I haven't put any cameras _inside_ your bedrooms… should I?" he brightened and winked. "Any juicy action I should be watching with Thor?"

"You're a creep, Stark," Naomi growled.

"Nah, I'm just a Naoki shipper," he called after her as she turned and headed for the living room.

She entered the room and found Loki sitting alone on the couch, playing chess against himself. He made a move, spun the board around, and frowned, as if troubled by the move he had just made. Naomi smirked.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll win," she said, plopping down on the couch next to him.

Loki smiled, but didn't look up from the chess board. "Hello, sváss."

Naomi smiled at the pet name. It was Old Norse for beloved. It made her smile when everyone else looked confused at the nickname. "Gonna look at me when you greet me, or are you worried your opponent will move pieces around the board while you're not looking?"

Loki smirked and looked up at her. "There. Looking at you. How are you, Naomi?"

"Fine, you?" she returned.

He shrugged.

"Tony said you wanted to ask me something," she remembered, giving Loki an inquisitive look.

"Oh, I was just wondering if you were back yet so I could ask if you got me anything else to entertain myself with," he explained.

She nodded. "Well, I'm evidently back."

"Evidently."

"And I brought you…" she paused and pulled out the bag from

Barnes and Noble with the puzzles and mind games. "Here."

Loki took the bag from her eagerly and began rummaging through it. "Your mortal puzzles are so easy and simple."

"Yeah, I know," Naomi said drily. "You've already completed everything from Borders, all the stuff from Game Daze, and now we're halfway through Barnes and Noble."

Loki shrugged and set the bag down, turning back to the Huntress and smiling smugly. "Not my fault, is it?"

Naomi sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Loki caught her hand in his and pulled it to inspect. He looked at the ring on her finger and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, I got that today," she smiled. "Bought it at one of those fancy jewelry stores, but it really wasn't that expensive. Pretty, huh?"

Loki turned her hand this way and that. "Mm, it's nice. Tiger, naturally, right, Naomi? Always tigers with you. You can turn into any kind of cat, but you prefer tigers."

Naomi shrugged. "Yup."

Loki frowned as he continued to look at her hand. "When a person gets married here in Midgard, don't they put a ring on their ring finger of their left hand?"

Naomi's eyes widened. "Oh, crap. Yeah. Heh, wouldn't want people getting the wrong idea," she giggled nervously, as Loki gave her a look. She pulled her hand out of his and tugged on the ring, preparing to find a way to make it fit on another finger. It didn't budge. Her eyes widened. "Shoot…" She tried twisting the ring off, but it didn't come off.

"It's stuck?" Loki guessed.

"No, I like pretending to struggle to pull jewelry off my hand when it can come off just fine, Loki," Naomi spat, pursing her lips as she continued to pull at the ring.

"Let me see," Loki ordered, and she held out her hand. He frowned and pulled the ring gently. It didn't move. He pulled a little harder.

"Ow!" Naomi protested, yanking her hand away.

"Sorry," he apologized quietly, then reached for her hand again. "Hang on, let's see." He knelt on the floor in front of Naomi so that he could have a better grip on her hand as he tried to shimmy the band off her finger.

"God, that hurts," Naomi hissed, trying to pull her hand away from Loki.

"Do you want it off or not?" he asked, snatching her hand again and working at it more. It didn't seem to have moved in the slightest.

Tears pricked Naomi's eyes as the gold dug into her skin painfully, and a few tears escaped her eyes.

Loki glanced up and noticed. "Don't cry, dýrr, it's going to be off soon," he assured her, squeezing her hand gently.

Naomi sighed and nodded. "Okay."

There were sudden gasps from the doorway to the room, and the Huntress and the god of mischief looked up to see Tony Stark and Thor standing with open mouths as they stared at the pair.

"What?" Loki spat.

"Oh, my God!" Stark exclaimed, looking like Christmas would come early. "Oh, my God, I should have known it! Oh, my God, you said yes, right, Naomi?" he demanded, obviously holding in his excitement.

Naomi wiped her runny nose with her right hand. "What are you idiots going on about?"

"I knew it!" Thor was punching his fist in the air. "Recall that night at Shawarma, Stark? I always knew this would happen! We must make preparations immediately! Oh, Father and Mother will be so pleased! Shall it be in Midgard or Asgard?"

"What are you talking about?!" Loki and Naomi demanded at once.

"You two!" Stark exclaimed. "Soon to be one, forever and always!" The two Naoki fans then dashed off down the hall, cheering and hollering happily.

"Do you have any idea what they're talking about?" Loki asked agitatedly.

Naomi's eyes widened as she realized what they thought. "Loki…"

He shook his head. "What?"

"Um… You're kneeling on the ground in front of me, holding my hand, with your hands on a gold ring you're messing with on my left ring finger, and I'm crying," Naomi said slowly.

Loki blinked. "And…?"

"Oh, my God, Loki… They think you proposed to me," Naomi moaned.

There was a moment of silence as Loki took in the information, looking a little dizzy and faint.

"Well…" he said in a tense voice, trying to remain composed. "This is going to be incredibly… awkward… and hard to explain."

Naomi nodded silently.

"Just to be clear, we're _not…_ According to Midgardian customs… I haven't technically proposed to you, right?" Loki asked hesitantly.

"What, you wouldn't want to propose to me?" Naomi asked indignantly.

Loki's eyes widened. "I didn't say…"

Naomi shook her head. "I was kidding. And no, not even close."

"Good. Well, I don't mean… I don't mean _good,_ like it's good that we're not engaged, but good as in, like…" Loki seemed to be helpless, lost for words at the awkwardness. "Erm… What are we going to do, elska?"

Naomi grimaced. " _Explain_ to them, perhaps?"

"Excellent idea," Loki nodded in approval.

"You didn't think of that yourself?" Naomi asked drily.

"Honestly, my mind was coming up with plans more along the lines of murdering them and hiding the bodies before they started spreading rumors," Loki admitted.

Naomi considered. "Actually, I kind of like that idea better, Loki."

"Mm. Yes, they probably wouldn't appreciate it as much as we do. Come on, Naomi." He held out his hand to her, but Naomi gave him a dubious look.

"No offense, but trying to explain that we're not engaged is going to be a little hard to do while we're holding hands."

"Fair point. Come on."

Naomi and Loki went to the living room on the main floor that everyone else usually hung out in, figuring the other Avengers and Tony and Thor would be there. But they were wrong. It appeared that all of SHIELD was there in the room, looking a little disgruntled.

"And here's the happy couple!" Tony announced enthusiastically, bouncing in place and gesturing to Naomi and Loki as they entered the room, wide-eyed.

A few people clapped, though most just looked at the Huntress and the god of mischief disapprovingly.

"Tony, Thor, did you tell _everyone_ that we're—" Naomi asked in horror.

"Yes," Nick Fury said, his arms folded over his chest and a glare fixed on the couple. "He said we needed to come because there was an emergency… an earth-shattering emergency. I thought we might be dealing with a terrorist attack, a global threat, or Thor's dirty laundry. Instead, I find out that you and Loki decided to get hitched. And for _this_ I had to cut a meeting with the Council short."

"But we do have an earth-shattering emergency!" Tony protested. "It is called… shall Naomi be wearing an A-line dress, a mermaid, a trumpet, a ball gown, or shall it be bare breasts and ankles all the way?"

Both Naomi and Loki turned very pale.

Pepper Potts, Maria Hill, and Natasha Romanoff were now approaching Naomi and tugging her arms. "Come on! We've got so much to plan! Set a date yet? What about colors? Venue? Ooh, gotta make up some really original and sweet vows! Food! Who's gonna be the maid of honor? Bridesmaids? Who's performing the ceremony?"

The bombardment of questions faded down the hall as they dragged Naomi down the hall, much to her displeasure.

Very faintly, the word 'heeeelllp!' was heard.

Loki was then left to the men, who were giving advice or congratulating him… or discouraging him, or asking random questions.

"Congratulations, Loki! Man, I feel so bad for you! I never thought you were the type to tie the knot! Personally, I'm surprised she said yes… Since when were you planning to propose? Where the hell did you get the money to buy a ring?! Dude, believe me, _don't do it!_ Hey, bachelor partaaaayyyy!"

Naomi and Loki were rather unsure how to quash the idea of their engagement… but it had to be done soon… or else Tony and Thor were probably going to make invitations, reservations, and decide what kind of cake they'd be serving.

 **Note from LoquaciousQuibbler: …If anyone's wondering, no, there shall not be a Naoki wedding at any time in the foreseeable future XD This was just a funny idea I had and so therefore wrote it… poor Naomi and Loki… Gonna be so terribly difficult to explain the situation… And all because Tony and Thor jump to conclusions.**

 **Spread the word first, ask questions never: the motto of Thor and Tony.**

 **But anywho, I hope you all enjoyed it.** **I've still got a few more Naoki oneshots on hand to post… I've got a request that I shall do at some point… and I find myself wondering if anyone would be interested in an Ask Naoki. Everyone who has read** _ **Scarred for Life,**_ **my spinoff oneshot collection for** _ **Twisted Minds Think Alike,**_ **knows what that is. If you haven't read that, then Ask *insert ship name* is where readers submit questions via PM or review, and I write a oneshot in which I, as myself, interview the couple and ask them your questions. You're welcome to submit questions, and we'll see if Ask Naoki becomes as popular as Ask Emoki.**

 **Let me know what you thought of this oneshot in a review**

 **Please favorite, follow, and review.**


	4. Chapter 4

Dominance Issues

Naomi's POV

Loki and I sat on the couch in one of the Stark Tower living rooms, reading books.

I glanced over at him and held my hand out. He took it absentmindedly, laying his hand on top of mine. I paused in my reading and frowned. I slipped my hand out from under his and put mine on top.

Loki paused and glanced up at me. He looked at our hands, frowned at me, and then put his hand on top again.

I tried to slip my hand out from under his and put it on top again, but he held it tightly, and I couldn't move it out from under his.

"Issues?" he asked, smirking as I vainly struggled to pull my hand out from under his.

I glared at him. "No," I said, closing my book and putting my free hand on top of his.

He put his own book down and put his free hand on top of the pile.

I yanked both my hands away and slammed them on top of his, trying to pin them to the couch cushion. He jerked his hands away before I could get a good grip, and then grabbed at my wrists, trying to pin them.

"You jerk!" I spat as he managed to pin both my hands to the couch for a brief moment. I leaned back, trying to free my hands from his grip. When that failed, I gave him a swift kick to the shins. He immediately let go.

"Hey! Cheater!" Loki exclaimed, retreating to the far end of the couch, rubbing his shin and glaring at me.

"Coming from the god of mischief," I said accusingly, still determined to win the battle of dominance. "Don't lecture me on cheating; you're the one who switches pieces around the chessboard when Rogers isn't looking."

"You do it, too," Loki accused back. "Besides, we both know how funny it is to see how confused he is when his knights and bishops suddenly disappear."

I laughed. "Yup, okay, now that we both admitted we cheat at chess—" I broke off as Loki lunged forward and tackled me backward, pinning my shoulders to the couch cushion.

"Hey!" I protested, trying to wriggle free.

"I thought we had just established that we both cheat," Loki teased. "And I think I've just managed to pin you, so I think I—"

I managed to bring my knees up to my chest, then kicked him in the stomach as hard as I could. He was thrown onto the living room floor. "NO, you don't win," I growled. I scrambled onto the floor and sat triumphantly on his chest. "I think I win."

"In your dreams, you do," Loki hissed. In one swift motion, he rolled, flipping me onto my back, with him on top of me. He grabbed both of my hands in one of his and pinned them above my head easily. "Still think you win?" he challenged, giving me a superior grin.

I glared up at his smirking face. I squirmed for a moment, trying to see if I could free myself, but his grip was too good. I finally gave up and simply glared up at him. "You realize what this means, don't you?"

"You mean besides the fact that I've obviously won?" he asked.

"WE both have some major dominance issues."

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "WE went from reading on the couch and holding hands to pinning each other on the floor simply because we both wanted our hand on top. Apparently we're both determined to show our dominance."

Loki smirked again. "Or maybe I just enjoy having an excuse to pin you to the floor."

I looked at him suspiciously, not sure if I should ask what that was supposed to mean.

He smirked even more broadly at my mistrustful glare.

"Now are you going to let me up?" I asked, starting to feel worried by his mischievous smile.

"In due time," he said lazily. "I think I'll just enjoy this for a moment." With his free hand, he gently brushed a few loose strands of hair from my cheek, and gave me another smirk. My heart started racing as his fingers trailed past my lips.

Very slowly, he leaned in closer to me. Suppressing a smile, I closed my eyes and waited, my heart hammering in my chest. I felt his breath on my lips. He was only about an inch away now. And then…. Then… I waited expectantly for his lips to meet mine. Another moment dragged by as I waited expectantly. And still he didn't kiss me.

I opened my eyes and looked at him reproachfully. He grinned back at me slyly.

"You have no idea how much fun it is to tease you," he murmured, his breath whispering over my lips. "I could do this all night."

"I hate you so smegging bad," I muttered, still feeling breathless.

"Give it a moment. It'll pass," he whispered, smirking at me, and then leaning in once again to kiss me.

The tiniest distance separated our lips when someone snickered. "I'm sorry, should we leave and come back when you're done at three in the morning?" I heard tony Stark ask in an amused voice.

Loki and I scrambled away from each other, blushing furiously as we sprang apart.

The other Avengers stood in the doorway to the living room, looking at me and Loki with raised eyebrows.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded. "I thought everyone was in their rooms—"

"Um, it's chess night," Stark said, looking between me and Loki mischievously. "But I see you have other plans, our little Huntress… playing some _other_ game tonight…?"

"Shut up!" me and Loki snapped at the same time, blushing again.

Tony held up his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, calm down."

"Think we should just go find some other room to play chess in?" hawk Eye asked, giving me a wink. "Give them some _privacy?_ " he stressed the word, wiggling his eyebrows at me and Loki.

"WE said shut up!" Loki and I both said angrily.

"Yeah, we should leave the lovebirds alone," Natasha Romanoff said, grinning at us.

"It doesn't matter, the moment's gone, anyway," I muttered, glaring at all of them.

"Yeah, I think we should just go…" Steve Rogers said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head and avoiding Loki's and my gazes.

"Agreed," Thor said, smirking at Loki and me. "I believe we should leave Loki and Naomi Carson in peace. I believe courtship is harder when there is pressure from friends and family."

"Thor, I'm going to murder you!" Loki shouted, lunging at his brother.

Tony Stark and Steve Rogers both grabbed one of Loki's arms and hauled him back so he wouldn't strangle Thor.

"Yeah, let's just go," Bruce Banner said, obviously trying not to laugh.

Still giggling, the group sauntered back out the door of the living room and into the hall, leaving me and Loki in a fuming silence.

" _Well,_ " I finally said, still glaring at the door the Avengers had just exited. _"Well._ "

We both sighed in irritation, and then glanced at each other. We both shrugged and sank back onto the couch. An awkward silence fell between us for a few moments before we both picked up our books and started reading again. Rather, we pretended to read while throwing quick glances at each other.

"I hate those guys," I muttered.

"Me, too," Loki agreed.

Silence.

"Are we going to kiss or not?" I asked.

"I don't know. I thought the moment was kind of gone," Loki shrugged and glanced at me over the top of his book.

"It is, it is," I said bitterly. "But come on. Humor me for once, Loki."

Loki sighed heavily and set his book down before scooting over to me.

"And quit acting like it's such a huge imposition," I ordered, giving him an amused look. "You enjoy it as much as I do."

"True," he smiled a little bit and leaned in to kiss me again.

With a satisfied sigh, I closed my eyes and waited. A few seconds dragged by. I opened my eyes and glared at Loki, who was only a few inches away.

He grinned mischievously. "I swear, this never gets old." He suddenly pulled away and stood up. "Sorry to keep you in suspense, but I think you'll have to earn a kiss, Naomi." He flashed a devilish grin and started to walk away.

I stared at him in shock for a second. Then I launched myself after him and lashed out, yanking on one of his ankles so he toppled to the floor. "Smeghead," I accused as I jumped up and gave him a quick kick to the ribs before dashing away.

I only got about halfway down the hall before he caught up to me and grabbed my wrist.

"Hey!" I protested as he pinned me to the wall. I wriggled once again in vain, trying to free myself from his grip. Again, it was to no avail, and I ended up glaring sullenly at his superior smirk.

"I win again," he announced.

"Congratulations. What do you want, a medal?" I asked scathingly.

His eyes searched my face for a moment. "No. Just a kiss, I think. I think a kiss will do quite nicely."

He started to lean in, but I interrupted. "I swear, if you just hover an inch away for too long again, then I'll…" I trailed off as he raised an eyebrow in question. "I don't know what I'll do, but I promise I'll find something worth threatening you with," I vowed.

He gave me a patronizing look. "I highly doubt you could find anything worth threatening me with, my dear. I'm a god. _And_ I'm the dominant one," he added haughtily, giving me a sly grin before leaning in to kiss me.

"I'll revoke kissing rights," I threatened suddenly, a moment before his lips met mine.

Loki paused and stared at me, as if not quite sure if I was joking or being serious. "You wouldn't," he muttered mutinously.

I grinned. "Maybe, maybe not."

Loki frowned suspiciously at the mischievous smirk on my face.

"And you think _you're_ the dominant one," I teased before standing on tiptoe and pressing my lips against his.

 **Note from LoquaciousQuibbler: This is the last update you'll be getting for roughly two months, as I'll be heading off to summer camp. Hope you enjoyed it.**

 **This oneshot is (weirdly enough) inspired by the "battles of dominance" that me and my best friend have. It really is only us putting our hands on top of each other's and trying to pin each other's hands to the table, but that's where this came from. I can totally see neither Loki or Naomi giving in to being on the bottom of the pile when it comes to hand-holding. ;)**

 **So… we've now had plenty of fluff and humor. When I come back from camp, is everyone ready for a little more angstiness? I've got a couple angsty bits I'd be very happy to hit you with… of course, I've got more fluff and humor as well. Up to you which you'd like to see next. Again, though, going on a two-month hiatus. Let me know in the reviews, and I'll see you all soon.**

 **Hope you have a good summer; I'll be having a very eventful one. Please favorite, follow, and review.**


	5. Chapter 5

***Heya, guys! I hope you all enjoyed your summer, because I certainly did**

 **Back to school now, but ya know. A break was fun while it lasted. So… now that summer is over, I'm back to updating all of my stories, and my Naoki romping grounds are once again open for updating. So, here we are again, and Naomi and Loki are happy to be back to entertaining you. Well, kinda. They're a little exasperated with me for getting them into the situations I do… but lol anywho. ;)**

 **I hope you enjoy the following oneshot, which was inspired a long time ago on a rainy afternoon.**

Save it For a Rainy Day

Naomi's Point of View

I sat alone in my room in the very early hours of the morning, staring out the window as I sat on my bed. The rivulets of water tracing their way down the glass had me captivated… I loved the rain. Put the irony aside of a woman who can turn into a cat loving the rain. I love it. The sound of the drops hitting the glass was rhythmic and soothing, and the sight of, several floors below my room, a few little umbrellas bobbing along as night shift workers made their way back home was fascinating. The street was otherwise empty. It was too early for anyone to be up.

"Naomi?"

I jumped slightly. Evidently I was wrong, and it wasn't too early. I glanced around and saw Loki sitting on the foot of my bed, looking at me questioningly. He was already dressed in his usual clothes, hair slicked back and already wide awake.

"Hey. What are you doing?" I asked with a smile.

"Honestly? Watching you," he smirked.

I scoffed. "Flattering, actually. How long have you been sitting there silently?"

"Only a minute or two," he smiled.

I shook my head and returned my gaze to the rain-streaked window. I felt the bed dip down slightly as Loki slid closer to me, peering over my shoulder out the window. I nervously glanced at him. He glanced back at me, raising his eyebrows in a way that was almost daring me to ask him to please not look over my shoulder. He smirked when I made no such request, and then he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me to him, so my back pressed against his chest as we looked out the window.

"Tell me, what's so fascinating about watching the rain through your window?" he asked as he ran his fingers absentmindedly through my hair.

I shrugged. "I love the rain."

"Then what the bloody hell are you doing _in_ side?" he asked mischievously.

I raised my eyebrows. "Uh, I don't know. Maybe I'm dressed in my pajamas, and no one else is up?"

"One, I know a way we can remedy your being dressed in only pajamas. And two, who says you have to wait for everyone else to get up to start the day. If everyone thought that way, then nobody would ever get up, simply waiting for everyone else," Loki observed.

I rolled my eyes. "If I'm going outside, then get out so I can get dressed."

Loki gave me a look like I had just offended his ancestors. "You want me _out_ of your room while you get dressed…?"

I raised my eyebrows. "I'm not sure what part of that wasn't clear…." I nodded to the door as I went to my closet and started sifting through the piles of clothes that had yet to be put away due to my laziness. I chose out a pair of jeans and a black tank-top. I heard Loki's deep sigh, and the door open and close.

I glanced away from the closet. Loki was simply standing by the door, looking at me expectantly.

"Perve; really?" I laughed. "Just going to pretend to leave and then wait for me to get dressed?"

Loki sighed again and opened the door, muttering something about 'should've used an invisibility spell', and I watched him leave.

"Freaking smeghead of a boyfriend," I muttered to myself before pulling on my clothes. I slipped on a pair of sneakers and ran a brush through my hair before going out into the hall, where I bumped into Loki the second I stepped out of the room.

"Whoa, hey," I snickered, now lowering my voice so I wouldn't wake anyone else. "Seriously? Just… waiting right outside my door, huh?"

Loki cocked an eyebrow and shrugged. "Now, aren't you going outside in the rain?"

I nodded eagerly.

"Then why don't you have a jacket?"

I scoffed. "Please. That ruins the fun of the rain. If I wore a jacket, it would entirely defeat the purpose of going outside," I smiled at him and then grabbed his hand, dragging him towards the elevator. We stepped in, and I pressed the ground floor button about four times before I stopped.

"Good morning, Agent Carson and Loki," Jarvis's voice came through the elevator speakers.

"A good morning, indeed," I said formally, adopting a British accent.

Loki gave me a 'really? Don't harass the A.I.' look. I merely grinned.

"It is raining outside, as I'm sure you noticed," Jarvis observed.

"Hard not to notice," Loki observed airily.

"Well, you would think so, but sometimes Mr. Stark does not realize the condition of the weather, and goes outside without proper protection, so I have been programmed to inform tenants of this tower of the weather."

I snickered, picturing Tony Stark stepping outside and shrieking shrilly as he realized it was raining, and yelling at Jarvis that he should have warned him. "That's an awesome mental image," I muttered, and Loki smirked slightly, his mind on the same track as mine

"I recommend a raincoat or umbrella," Jarvis continued.

"I recommend not wasting your metaphoric breath," I dismissed. "I don't want a jacket or umbrella."

Loki just clicked his tongue and shook his head at me tragically.

I raised my eyebrows as the elevator door opened with a ding, and Jarvis bid us a good day. I once again grabbed Loki's hand and pulled him out towards the glass front doors of the tower. "What, afraid you'll mess up your hair?" I teased.

"Not in the least. I do not worry about such things."

"Lies," I shook my head. "Maybe you don't remember when we first met,, but basically one of the first things you said to me was that you didn't want your clothes dirty when you took over the world."

He caught my wrist and made me stop for a moment, making me face him. "As if I could forget when we first met?" he murmured seriously, giving me a meaningful look. "…Or _any_ moment I spent with you, for that matter?"

I blushed slightly. "I know, Loki." He gave me a small smile, and laced his fingers with mine once again, allowing me to drag him around as I pleased. I smiled and pulled open the door to the tower and stepped out, letting out a squeal of delight as the drops of water met my skin and hair and clothes.

Loki followed me, looking far less delighted than me as the dark green of his shirt became darker when the droplets splashed it. "And what, Naomi, are we supposed to do now?" he asked skeptically, raising his voice so he could be heard above the pounding of the rain hitting the street and sidewalk.

"Well, Loki, it was _your_ idea to come out here!" I laughed, lifting my face to the sky and squinching my eyes closed as my face was spattered with the water.

"I suggested no such thing," Loki said haughtily. "I suggested _you_ go outside in the rain… and somehow I managed to get dragged out here with you, and am now getting soaked to the bone." He gave me a dirty look, like he couldn't have stopped me from dragging him out here if he had wanted. But I knew. He came out here with me willingly. He just liked to pretend he didn't like the stuff I dragged him into.

I just smiled and beckoned for him to follow me. By now, I was drenched in rainwater, my black tank-top plastered to my body. I was glad I hadn't worn white. I started to stroll down the street, and I heard the _plop_ of Loki's boots hitting the wet sidewalk as he followed, catching up and walking at my side.

"So where do you wanna go?" I asked.

"I was unaware that we were going anywhere," he said mildly.

"Fine. The park it is," I announced. We continued in silence for a while, walking towards the park. I glanced at him. He was giving me an odd look. "What?" I asked curiously.

"You look good wet," he smirked predatorily, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

I felt myself blush as I stuck my tongue out at him. But honestly, he didn't look too bad himself. There was a strand of hair stuck to his forehead, and I was half tempted to reach up and brush it away. But I knew that was just inviting trouble… So I just jumped in a puddle as we walked through it, splashing Loki's legs with the cold rainwater.

He gasped at the sudden rush of cold soaking into his boots, and he gave me a look of shocked outrage.

I laughed and then took off down the sidewalk, making sure to leave a spray of water behind me to soak him even further. Stupid, really, because I hadn't made it more than ten steps before he appeared right in front of me, and I shrieked as he grabbed me before I could even come to a full stop.

"Loki!" I protested as he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. "Dude! Seriously! Put me down!" I demanded, pounding on his back.

"Oh, no, Naomi," he said slyly. "If you think it's so fun to get your significant other drenched in rainwater, then we'll see how you like it, shall we?" he asked teasingly, and the next thing I knew, I was being literally carried to an unseen destination, all the while pounding irately on his back. We probably looked like we were reenacting a scene from Shrek.

"Do quit squirming, _elska_ ," he said mildly. "I'd hate to drop you."

I reached back and yanked sharply on a strand of his soaked hair. "Smeghead!"

And suddenly I was dropped to the ground, and was effectively sodden in an instant. "Loki!" I gasped, shocked at the frigid water around me. I scrambled to my feet and looked at where I had been dropped… the sandbox at the local park. It had been filled with the rainwater because of the little walls enclosing it. I was now even wetter than I had thought physically possible. My jeans clung to my legs, and my sneakers would likely not dry for a number of days. Goosebumps had erupted on my skin, and I let out a screech, frantically rubbing my shivering arms. I whipped around, looking for Loki.

He was snickering uncontrollably a few feet away, looking at me with pure mischief on his face.

"You smeghead!" I exclaimed, pointing at him accusatorily. "See what you did?!" I gestured down at my sopping clothes.

He scoffed and raised his eyebrows. "Um, yes, Naomi, I certainly do."

I lunged at him and wrenched his hand, dragging him with me back to the sandbox.

It quickly became a tug-of-war in the rain, simply pulling back and forth on each other. He was easily winning; he was far stronger than me physically, and somehow it morphed into me trying to get away from his grip rather than the other way around.

"You suck!" I accused, trying to free my wrists from his grasp as I leaned backwards. "Let me go already!"

Loki chuckled. "If you say so." He let me go, and I went tumbling backwards and landed back in the kiddie pool that had once been the sandbox.

"Gah!" I squeaked shrilly, appalled at my stupidity. I was now wetter than a fish, and back to sitting in the sandbox. "I'm gonna get a cold or something, and it's gonna be your fault!" I glared at him, not bothering to rise from my place in the freezing water. I felt my lips start to purse to keep from trembling, and my brow crease. I swallowed and sniffed before glancing away from Loki's face.

Loki's smirk slowly disappeared when I didn't get up. "Come on, Naomi, get up… I was only playing around," he started to say, but paused as he looked at my expression. "Are… you… Oh, Naomi, don't cry," he pleaded. "I was only…" he took a few steps closer to me and looked down at me contritely. "Please?" he held out his hand to help me up. "Don't be mad…"

I looked at his face, then at his hand with a dubious expression. I sighed. "…Fine…" I smiled very faintly and grabbed his hand… and then yanked hard enough that he fell into the sandbox beside me with a splash.

He let out a choked kind of gasp, surprised at the sudden wet and cold, and the fact that he had somehow gone from standing to sprawled on hands and knees next to me. He spluttered. "Wha—Naomi!" he said sharply, suddenly understanding and glaring at me.

I grinned wickedly. "I'm not mad anymore," I sang. "By the way, you look good wet," I giggled as he crossed his arms over his chest crossly. "An eye for an eye?" I shrugged. "You dump me in the sandbox… twice… and I get you back by pulling you down with me."

Loki just shook his head disapprovingly. "You're impossible, Naomi," he proclaimed.

"What was your first clue, Loki?" I asked cheekily.

He reached forward and pinched my nose, eliciting another giggle from me.

"Do you dislike me being impossible?" I queried. "Because you're pretty impossible sometimes, too, Loki."

"What was your first clue?" he mimicked. "And no, I suppose it would be boring if you weren't impossible."

I grinned and leaned forward, giving him a peck on the cheek.

He rolled his eyes and got up. "Come on," he called over his shoulder as I jumped up and started after him. "Everyone else should be up by now."

I looked down at our dripping clothes. "Stark's gonna kill us if we get water on the carpet."

Loki smirked. "Shall we, then?"

Ten minutes later, we stood outside Tony Stark's bedroom, holding back laughter as we wrung out our sopping clothes on the carpet, hoping he would step into the puddle we left as soon as he walked out.

A door opened down the hall, and Clint Barton stepped out of his own bedroom. He turned to walk down the hall towards us and stopped short, taking in the sight. He looked between our dripping clothes and the puddle of water on the carpet outside Tony Stark's room. He looked over the mischievous grins on Loki's and my faces. He sighed and turned away. "…Not even gonna ask… I'm going back to bed now…"

Loki and I just stifled giggles and snickers before retreating to his room and listening for the tell-tale scream that Tony would let out when his feet met the freezing puddle of rainwater outside his room.

And while we waited, Loki gave me an apology kiss. Apology accepted.

 **Note from LoquaciousQuibbler: Yeah…** **That happened. Lol just picture Tony stepping out of his room and the ensuing scream, and then picture the raucous laughter that comes from Loki's room. That'll result in an unhappy Iron Man, eh?**

 **Anyways, I think Ima start posting a couple more angsty oneshots… at least the next one or two will be angsty. Are y'all okay with taking a break from the quintessential fluff? I hope so. Let me know what you think of that idea… because we will most certainly get back to the romantic comedy content and cotton candy fluff, but you know how much I like some dark clouds thrown in before the sun comes out again.**

 **Hope you enjoyed, and I am most certainly taking note of the suggestions you guys hint at in your reviews. I will attempt to do some of the requests you guys have, so don't be afeared to leave them for consideration.**

 **Please favorite, follow, and review.**


	6. Chapter 6

***Hey, everybody! Well, I hope you are ready for some major angst here… This is a oneshot I wrote for a good friend quite a while ago. She wanted me to write her a oneshot in which Loki found out about what happened between Naomi and Steve after Loki was taken back to Asgard. I'm sure we all remember that lovely chapter of Steomi… *sniffle sniffle* lol you guys hated me so bad ;) Anyways, this is how it would have gone down for Loki to find out about it.**

Mine

" _Near, far, wherever you are_

 _I believe that the heart does go on_

 _Once more you open the door_

 _And you're here in my heart_

 _And my heart will go on and on"_

Naomi Carson, Loki Laufeyson, Steve Rogers, Thor Odinson, and Bruce Banner watched the credits rolling up the screen as _Titanic_ ended.

Everyone sniffled at the end, and Bruce and Thor merely stood and walked away, evidently ashamed of their tears. Loki, Naomi, and Steve remained. Naomi wiped her tears away and sniffled repeatedly.

"It's just a movie, Naomi," Loki murmured, gently rubbing her back and leaning in to kiss her forehead.

"But it's _sad!_ " Naomi choked out. "I mean, I know it's coming every time… but just… when she sees Jack again, I just can't help it…" she sniffled and wiped her eyes again. "I'll be right back… getting some tissues…" She stood and walked out.

Only Loki and Steve Rogers were left, listening to Celine Dion crooning.

Steve cleared his throat. "She's right… it was pretty sad…"

"Shut up, Rogers," Loki rolled his eyes.

"Well, it is…"

"Yes, it is. _Now_ shut up."

Silence. Loki always felt a kind of tenseness around Steve Rogers… and he wasn't sure why. It was a feeling like the captain was hiding something from him… but Loki could not fathom what the Captain could have possibly done to create such an aura. And yet there it was, clear as day… radiating off of him in waves… not quite regret, but something like nervous guilt and secretiveness.

Tony Stark walked into the room. "Hey, just you two? Watching a movie? Whatcha watching?" he paused and looked at the screen, and he recognized the theme song of the movie. "Really? Two grown men, watching one of the cheesiest love movies of all time…"

"Bruce and Thor and Carson were just here watching with us," Steve said defensively.

Tony shrugged. "Yeah, whatever… as long as you're watching cheesy love movies, you might as well pop in Twilight next…" he paused and grinned crookedly, looking between Steve and Loki. "Heh… you two could totally relate to that. Loki's Edward… Steve is Jacob… and Naomi's Bella. Love triangle galore, huh? Seriously, watch _New Moon._ It'll be like déjà vu."

The billionaire sauntered back out, leaving the two still sitting in the living room.

Loki's eyes narrowed at the captain. "What is he talking about?"

"I don't know," Steve muttered. "I've never watched _Twilight._ I wouldn't know."

"What did he mean about love triangles galore?" Loki asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes even further at Steve's avoiding the question.

"You think I understand a word that comes out of Stark's mouth?"

"I think you do in this case… if you really had no idea, you wouldn't be shifting uncomfortably and refusing to meet my eyes," the god of lies said bitingly, growing irritated. "Rogers, what was he talking about? He said something about a love triangle with you and Naomi and me."

Steve fidgeted. "It's nothing, Loki," he said softly. He seemed to have given up trying to hide the fact that something was going on… but now he was just saying it didn't matter.

Loki was silent. The idea of _any_ kind of love triangle involving him and Naomi was… impossible. The idea of the third person being Steve Rogers was even more so. "What… the… _hell… is going on?!"_ Loki snarled, feeling anger surge through him. Had Naomi been going behind his back with Rogers? There was no way. She wouldn't do that. Would she?

Steve's eyes widened at Loki as he saw the dark expression on the god's face. Still he did not explain himself.

Loki let out a huff. "I'm going to find Naomi then, if you won't tell me," he growled, standing up and walking towards the door.

"Loki, hang on," Steve jumped up. "Don't bring Naomi into this, alright? It's not her fault."

Loki turned and glared. " _What's_ not her fault?"

Steve grimaced and sank back onto the couch. "Look… Naomi is a beautiful, intelligent, fascinating woman…"

Loki's fists clenched, feeling protective of Naomi suddenly.

"…You didn't think you were the only one who noticed that, right?" Steve continued. "Loki, after you left, Naomi got low… really low. She was brokenhearted."

Loki felt himself go rigid. Still he didn't say anything, planning to hear the captain out.

"Well…" Steve looked uncomfortable again. "I… helped her get through it."

Loki glared. "… _What?"_

"Loki, all I did was make her eat and sleep and exercise. But I was kind of staying at her house. And I…" he hesitated. "Loki, you can't think you're the only one who has ever been interested in Naomi. I've liked her since… since I met her… and it was…" he bit his lip. "It was hard for me to, one, see her give her heart to you… and two, to see her broken after you left."

Loki was trying, with difficulty, to not blast the man into oblivion. How dare he even _think_ about Naomi inn a romantic manner… how _dare_ he yearn for her…

"…It only got as far as a kiss—"

" _WHAT?!"_ Loki exploded, and then Steve was suddenly pinned to the wall, Loki's eyes burning into his with a ferocious intensity that would have made any weaker man quiver. But Steve was not afraid. He knew he had done nothing wrong. " _You… did… WHAT to my Naomi?!"_ he snarled.

Steve grabbed Loki's wrists and tried to get him to let go of his shirt. "Loki. I… _kissed her,"_ he ground out. He almost felt a grim satisfaction at the anger and… jealousy?... in Loki's eyes. Because only for a moment, Naomi had been his. And for a few weeks, Naomi had been in his company, and not Loki's. Naomi had been comforted by Steve after her heartbreak, and not Loki. That was the one thing the captain had over Loki in terms of Naomi Carson.

Steve's head suddenly snapped to the side, making a sharp _thud_ as it hit the plaster of the wall. He gingerly touched his jaw where Loki's fist had collided with it, but Rogers just glared back defiantly.

" _Don't… you…"_ Loki hissed, and put even more emphasis on the next word, " _ **ever…**_ touch her again… Or I'll make you understand the _true_ meaning of the word pain. _Do you understand me?"_ he growled threateningly. He leaned closer to Rogers, scowling.

Steve scoffed and shoved Loki backward. "Back off, Loki. I'm not planning on trying with her again. I _know_ you two are together. Alright? That's why I didn't want to bring this up, you idiot. I knew you'd react like this."

Loki was just resisting the urge to punch him again. "If I catch you even _looking_ at her, Rogers… if you _breathe_ too close to her…"

"I'm not _like_ that, alright?!" Rogers shouted. "She's yours! Don't you get it? _You win! Are you happy now? She rejected me! She chose you over me, and you weren't even there!"_ Steve let out an exasperated breath."I still don't even know why! Loki, just…" Steve stepped forward and poked Loki in the chest. "You had better just realize how much she loves you, alright? Because even though you're the reject and the outcast where you come from, in my books, you're the damn lucky one!" he spat.

Loki was silent, taken aback. He absentmindedly smacked the man's hand away from him, but he had no words. He hadn't realized… "And what do you expect me to say? That I'm sorry for you? Because I'm not. Not in the least," he sneered. He took a breath, and his demeanor softened very slightly. "But do you know what, Rogers? I do know how lucky I am."

There was a long moment of silence in which both men shared a hard look at each other.

"Damn you, Loki," Steve said harshly. He gave him a quick shove.

Loki caught Rogers's arm and twisted it roughly. "If you so much as _think_ about touching her—"

"Get the hell off me," Rogers spat, yanking his arm away. He turned to leave the room again, but stopped dead. Loki glanced up and froze, too.

Naomi was standing in the doorway with a box of tissues, her eyes wide in horror and surprise.

"Naomi," Loki said helplessly, realizing how bad this looked.

"Carson," Steve muttered uncomfortably.

She stepped into the room. "What the smeg is going on here?" she demanded, looking between the two of them.

Loki straightened slightly. "Just a little… talk… man to man…"

Naomi looked suspiciously between them both.

"You might want to reassure your boyfriend that you're not in love with me… like I need another freaking reminder," Steve muttered, turning away.

Naomi looked to Loki. "Do you feel like explaining what is going on here?"

"Rogers just did me the favor of telling me about the little relationship you two had shortly after I left."

Naomi's face hardened. "Loki… it wasn't like that."

"It was for _him,_ " Loki jerked his head toward Steve.

"No, it wasn't," Naomi whispered, and she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Loki's neck. "Loki… I didn't tell you because… I knew you'd take it like this."

Loki stiffened. That was what Rogers had said, too. But then he remembered what else the captain had said… realize how lucky you are. He wrapped his arms around Naomi's waist in return and closed his eyes momentarily, trying to relax himself as he felt Naomi's heartbeat against his chest and her warmth through their clothes. He sighed and opened his eyes again. His eyes met Steve's.

The Captain stood with his arms crossed, watching silently, a stony expression carved on his face. Loki gave the man a searching look, then glanced to the young woman still in his arms. His arms tightened slightly around her. He threw Steve a look, and its meaning was clear.

 _Mine._

Steve gave Loki a dark look. He shook his head, shrugged, and turned away, walking out of the room. His meaning was clear as well.

 _I know._

 **Note from LoquaciousQuibbler: I did tell you it would be angsty, didn't I? The thing I like about this one is actually how… dark it is. Very gray, and no black-or-white. It makes it very difficult to see exactly who the right one is in this situation. I took great care in Steve's character in this one, actually. Because Steve totally is a perfectly deserving and good guy—but is able to accept that Naomi doesn't love him, and will back off and allow her to follow her own heart, even if it breaks his in the process. And yes, Loki is a possessive and dark man, but he also desperately loves Naomi for all the right reasons, and Naomi loves him in return for all the right reasons. So who is the right guy? Well. I plead the fifth. But I pride myself on this oneshot, though I don't know if you guys will like it as much as I do. ;P**

 **I love you guys, and we will be returning to a little more fluffiness soon, and I hope I haven't hurt your feels too badly**

 **Please favorite, follow, and review.**


	7. Chapter 7

***Hey, everybody! Ugh my Wi-Fi went out for a number of weeks, and I was prevented from updating any of my stories… My deepest apologies. But anyways, we now have a oneshot of utter fluffiness and angst for my Naoki shippers! Lol BTW I'm glad you all enjoyed the last one I posted… I know Steomi is a controversial subject;) But I'm glad you all enjoyed that oneshot. I try not to dwell too much on that little love triangle, so don't expect too much of it in the future unless I get some kind of requests involving it.**

 **Anywho, onto the oneshot of the day: Weather The Storm… Because I was in this kind of mood when I wrote this, and felt like writing it…. This one is kind of a songfic, actually. The song lyrics included in this oneshot are from the song** _ **She Will Be Loved**_ **by Maroon 5.**

Weather the Storm

Clouds loomed over the city, peering down on the skyscrapers and people walking briskly, as if the clouds were gods contemplating the lives they oversaw. They had hovered over the busy streets all day, merely watching. Only when eleven o'clock at night rolled around did the gloomy gray giants deem it a suitable time to summon the winds to buffet the metropolis mercilessly, and then slowly but surely begin dripping the water they had clung to all day.

Wind whistled in between buildings, racing up streets and alleys as it announced the storm. Those unfortunate enough to still be in the streets when the storm hit quickly found their way into nearby businesses that hadn't yet closed their doors. Umbrellas were snatched from people's hands, and sent spiraling up and away to not be seen again. Stray newspapers and plastic bags, along with burger wrappers and empty soda cans or water bottles joined them. And then the cement became speckled with dark spots, and then spattered, and then the cement was slick with the moisture pouring from the sky above.

Loki Laufeyson's eyes lifted from the pages of his book when he heard tapping on his window. He narrowed his eyes, peering at the darkness outside as he sat up and crossed over to the window. Raindrops hit the window like there were dozens of people outside drumming their fingernails on the glass. Steadily it grew harder. A downpour.

He smiled faintly. Naomi would be happy if this rain continued until morning. She loved the rain. He glanced at the wall that separated his bedroom from Naomi's. Briefly he considered going over to her room just to see her staring, enraptured, at the droplets hitting her own windowpane. But the realization of the hour stopped him. It was already eleven at night. Odds were she was already in bed, either asleep or trying to reach that state of unconsciousness. So he instead merely returned to the book lying on his bed.

00000

As it turned out, Naomi was, in fact, not asleep or trying to reach such. She was lying on her own bed, a book lifted above her head as she read it. She smiled to herself at the sound of the rain spattering against her window. She loved the rain. She considered going over to Loki's room and proclaiming that it was time for a late-night excursion into the drenched city, but the darkness outside made her stop. Her fear of the dark wouldn't allow her to do that. So instead she merely continued to read her book, content to read until her eyelids would grow too heavy to remain open. Then she'd fall asleep and hope that it was still raining in the morning, when the sun broke over the horizon only to be obscured by the storm clouds. That was when she would feel brave enough to venture out into the rain and enjoy the wetness plastering her clothes to her body and the droplets trickling down her hair. In the morning.

Her eyes continued flicking back and forth, reading her book. Then there was a flash, making her room light up with white for a brief moment, and she nearly jumped out of her skin as she sat bolt upright. Her eyes flew to the window. Lightning? No. Please no. Please, please, please no lightning. There was only one thing that came with lightning. And besides the dark, it was her worst fear.

Three seconds later. And then it came. The crack that seemed to tear the sky apart with the sheer volume of it. Along with Naomi's composure. She felt her heart rate spike, and her muscles tensed considerably. Memories flashed into her mind at the sound of thunder. Darkness and pounding in her ears like thunder. She fought to keep her breathing under control now, and she forced the memories back. She bit her lip and waited, staring at the window in a state of utter stillness, waiting to see if it would happen again.

Another white flash in the distance; another fork of lightning splitting through the sky. Before it even faded, Naomi was on her feet, tearing open a drawer in her dresser and fumbling through it for her iPod. She had barely wrapped her fist around the touchscreen iPod when the thunder hit again, a deep, menacing rumble. She swallowed back the panic and closed her eyes against the fearful tears and the memories of the dark and thunder, playing on a loop through her head. It took a few long seconds for the paralysis in her muscles to dissipate, and she was able to turn the sounds of her music higher than that of the thunder. Desperately, she launched herself back into bed and turned her body away from the window, determined not to see the lightning and be reminded of the thunder outside. She would just listen to her iPod, drowning out the rumbling that brought back so much pain for her. Absentmindedly, she massaged the inside of her right elbow, telling herself that the phantom pain there and the burning snaking through her veins wasn't there anymore; that it hadn't been there for years. But the dark and thunder always resurrected the memories of that pain. She focused on the words playing through her head from the earbuds.

 _I don't mind spending every day_

 _Out on your corner in the pouring rain_

 _Look for the girl with the broken smile_

 _Ask her if she wants to stay a while_

 _And she will be loved_

 _And she will be loved_

00000

Loki looked up once again from his book when the first crack of thunder startled him from the world of his book. It was enough to almost send him rolling off his bed. His eyes fixed on the window, his heartbeat speeding up for just a moment before he took a deep, shaky breath. Stupid, really. There was nothing to be afraid of. It was just thunder. It wasn't like Thor was even the one causing this. And even if he were, it wouldn't be an issue.

Loki's eyes flicked to the wall between his room and Naomi's again. Thunder affected her more deeply than even him. But again, maybe she was already asleep. He hesitated, considering going over to her room just to make sure she was alright. His resolve wavered. He just waited, listening carefully. He didn't hear anything from the other side of the wall. Another crash of thunder sounded outside, and he heard a little movement, like rummaging. Nothing else. Maybe nothing was wrong. Maybe she was alright. Maybe he should just quit worrying about her. Naomi was a big girl. She didn't need Loki worrying about her every second.

He bit his lip and then slowly lay back down on his bed, jumping only slightly when the next bout of thunder hit. He let out another shaky breath and resumed his book reading.

Until the lightbulb in the fixture flicked out. And so did the bedside lamp. And the bedside alarm clock. Loki was left in pitch darkness.

"Oh, bloody hell," he muttered irritably to himself as he snapped his book shut and sighed, staring up at the dark ceiling.

00000

 _Tap on my window, knock on my door_

 _I want to make you feel beautiful_

Naomi was breathing deeply, keeping her mind fixed attentively on the lyrics and ignoring the rain, lightning, and the thunder. It was alright. The phantom pain had dissipated, though the pad of her left thumb kept habitually massaging the inside of her right elbow. It was just a nervous twitch now, anyways. She sighed deeply and mouthed along to the lyrics.

 _I know I tend to get so insecure_

 _It doesn't matter anymore_

And then suddenly there was darkness. Without warning. Without preamble. No telltale flicker, no shuddering of the building as it was rocked by the storm. It was just… off. And Naomi just froze for a moment, stunned by the suddenness. There was only blackness. She flipped onto her other side and sat up quickly, her amber eyes darting around the room hastily, searching for something to break the monotonous black. It didn't find anything, and her heart started picking up speed again, primal terror seizing her. She blinked several times, opening and closing her eyes. Somewhere… somewhere there had to be some light. She clicked the home button on her iPod, and there was now a small square of light to break the darkness, but it was only a small solace. It was still too dark, and she could feel a constricting in her chest. No, no, no. No darkness. Please no. Desperately, she reached for her bedside lamp and flicked the switch back and forth. Please please please light up. Nothing. No light. Nothing to ease her terror. How had the power possibly gone out? How could it do this to her?

She let out a curse under her breath, but found her throat was constricting, too.

 _It's not always rainbows and butterflies_

 _It's compromise that moves us along, yeah_

She couldn't be alone in the dark like this. It brought back too much. She had to get out of here. She started to stand up and stumble towards the door, but she tripped over something—the book she had been reading had ended up tossed onto the floor. Naomi landed on her hands and knees, and even less in control of herself. Tears stung at her eyes, and she couldn't hold them back, spilling down her cheeks and onto the floor as she tried to scramble to her feet.

One of the earbuds fell out of her ear at the jostling movement, and another rumble of thunder resounded. She squeezed her eyes shut and clamped her hand over that ear, biting back a sob at the memories of pain and dark and thunder and the inability to move. Out. She needed out.

 _My heart is full and my door's always open,_

 _You come anytime you want, yeah_

She let the other earbud fall out of her ear, and she fumbled through the dark to her door, tearing it open and trailing the wall to the door to her left, literally on the other side of the wall to her bedroom. She wiped forcefully at the tears on her face and then knocked desperately on the door to Loki's room, not even stopping to consider the idea that he might be asleep.

00000

Loki jumped about a foot in the air when there was an insistent knocking on his door. He had avoided the mishap before, but this time, he actually _did_ roll out of the bed and land on his side on the floor. Another knock on the door. Loki was still trying to calm his heart down after that little startle.

"Blast," he muttered as he pushed himself to his feet. He rubbed his face and ran his hands through his hair once to smooth it back, and then he felt through the darkness to the door. Just before he opened it, he concentrated hard for a moment and waved his hand, creating a small ball of light about the size of a fist, glowing softly. It provided a light equivalent to that of a gas lamp. With that, he opened the door to see who it was that had knocked.

He paused in surprise when he saw Naomi standing in the hall outside, trembling and pale-faced and tears slipping down her cheeks. Her iPod was clutched haphazardly in a fist, earbuds trailing carelessly halfway to the floor. And the stricken expression on her face, and her chest rising and falling far too quickly, and his eyes went back to the tears.

"Naomi, I thought you had been asleep—" he started to say in surprise, but he fell silent with even more surprise when Naomi launched herself against his torso and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest with a sob.

"L—Loki, I—the thund—the—" she tried to explain through her sobs with whimpers and gasps, but her voice died quickly.

At first Loki wasn't even sure how to respond, standing frozen while Naomi clutched at his shirt and sobbed into his chest, as if somehow he could make her less scared. Could he? How was he supposed to know how to handle this? Then, half-instinctually, half-consciously and hesitantly, he reached up and wrapped his arms around her waist in return, his fingertips pressing gently into her lower back. "Naomi, it's alright," he murmured in a hushed voice, still sounding half-stunned by the predicament.

 _I don't mind spending every day_

 _Out on your corner in the pouring rain_

Naomi felt something inside her go slack when Loki wrapped his arms around her oh-so-carefully, and she felt herself relax against him, going practically limp as tears continued to slide down her cheeks. "Just—the stupid power—the dark—"

"Shh," Loki coaxed. "Naomi, you're alright," he whispered, not even sure where the words of comfort were coming from. Just the generic words of comfort to offer someone distressed, he supposed. The only person who had ever really offered such words to him was his mother. He'd never had to offer them to someone else. "You're alright," he whispered again, tightening his grip on her just a little bit. He _wanted_ her to be alright. "I'm here. I'll make it alright," he promised.

She sniffed a few times, and then her terror started to slowly ebb away. She remained where she stood, ensconced safely in Loki's embrace for a few moments longer until she felt like she was fully in control of herself again. And then she suddenly felt very childish and silly and desperate and needy and… generally stupid. Shame filled her at her tears and the way she had tripped over herself to get here and then thrown herself into Loki's arms. Tentatively, she loosened her grip on Loki and drew away a little bit. "Sorry," she breathed out. "I was just—"

"Frightened," he finished quietly.

She nodded and tried to pull herself out of Loki's grip, but he didn't release her, his arms still around her waist. Not harsh, but definitely insistent and firm, not allowing her to leave his arms. "Loki—" She looked up at him with a tiny frown, only to see he had his own tiny smirk, looking down at her haughtily. "Could you let me go now?" she asked drily, reaching up and wiping the remainder of the now-drying tears from her cheeks.

"I _could,"_ Loki conceded, still holding her close.

"Hilarious," she muttered, shaking her head. "Loki, I'm feeling a little stupid right now, and it's not the best time to—"

"Why are you feeling stupid?" he asked in surprise.

Naomi blinked. "…Um…" She avoided his eyes and instead glanced backwards. They were still standing in the doorway to his bedroom, halfway in the pitch-black hall and halfway in his faintly-lit room. "…Panicking," she finished uncomfortably. "I mean, thunder and the dark. Childish fears and all that."

Loki seemed to contemplate her and her demeanor for a few moments, looking at her carefully. "I don't mind. You may have scared the living daylights out of me when you knocked, and caught me off guard, but don't feel stupid. It's not your fault Stark's stupid technology is faulty. His supposed off-the-grid amazing power source somehow shorted when it got a bit stormy outside, causing an outage, resulting in darkness, which in turn triggered… well, unpleasant memories for you. Effectively I think we can blame this on Stark."

"Everything can be effectively blamed on Stark," Naomi giggled self-consciously. She stiffened when there was a flash of lightning at the window, and she fearfully wrapped her arms around Loki's shoulders and pressed her forehead against his neck as she braced herself for the sound of the thunder.

Loki smiled very faintly at her closeness, and he absentmindedly reached up to stroke her hair, squeezing her tighter when the roll of thunder sounded. He could both hear and feel Naomi make a choked sound in her throat when she heard the thunder crash, and her body stiffened quite noticeably. It took several seconds after the thunder passed for Naomi to release the tension and relax again.

Naomi sighed and mentally berated herself and her stupid fears, sending her into a frozen state of terror every time thunder rolled and it got dark with no light. "Sorry," she whispered again.

Loki didn't say anything for a moment. Then he sighed slightly. "Why don't you just stay in here with me for a bit." It wasn't really a question. Not even really a suggestion. Just… something more along the lines of an offer.

 _Look for the girl with the broken smile_

 _Ask her if she wants to stay awhile_

Naomi bit her lip, and then she reluctantly nodded. "Okay."

"Okay," he murmured. Only now did he finally release his hold on her waist, and he crossed the room to sit on his bed again. Wordlessly, Naomi rubbed her forehead and followed him, seating herself next to him.

"Did I wake you up?" she asked cautiously, guilt flooding her as the idea crossed her mind.

One corner of Loki's mouth tilted up in a smile. "No, you—" He paused when there was a flash of lightning outside. Both his and Naomi's eyes fixed on the window for a split second, knowing what was to come next. He tore his eyes from the window and cupped Naomi's cheek, forcing her to look at him instead of the window. "No, you didn't wake me up." The thunder started to rumble outside, but Loki steadily talked over it, ensuring that Naomi was listening to him instead of the thunder. "I was reading a book and wondering if you were alright, actually. But I thought you were asleep, so I decided against coming to check on you." By the time he finished speaking, the thunder had passed.

Naomi squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. She had been trying to focus on the sound of Loki's voice instead of the thunder. It had only partially worked. Her heart rate was still accelerated, and she hadn't actually absorbed anything Loki had said. "…Sorry. I didn't catch anything after 'reading a book,'" she admitted under her breath.

Loki let out a slow breath and lay back across the bed, giving Naomi a wry look. "We're going to have to do something about this."

Naomi let out a bark of laughter. "Yeah. I know. It's not like I particularly _enjoy_ this."

"Which is worse: the dark, or the thunder?" he inquired.

Naomi considered with a frown. "Both together is the worst…" she glanced to the floating light that Loki had conjured just before he opened the door. "Darkness is worse, I guess, because it's more constant. Thunder just lasts for a few seconds. Darkness, you can't just plug in your headphones and pretend it's not there."

"Hmm. Darkness is worse," he murmured. He creased his brow and concentrated for a moment. Another pair of lights the size of a fist appeared and bobbed over to the first, creating a triumvirate of light in the middle of the room. The light was soft, and not as bright as lightbulbs, but it was like three miniature lanterns were floating there, keeping the darkness back as well as they could. Some of the tightness in Naomi's heart released.

"…That's a little better," she acknowledged.

"Good," he replied with a nod, eyes fixed on the lights as he folded his arms behind his head. "Now we just need a distraction from the—"

Lightning flashed outside again.

"Damn," Loki muttered, sitting up quickly and touching Naomi's cheek. "Naomi, listen. What has roots nobody sees, is taller than trees, up, up, up it goes, and yet never grows?"

Naomi's eyes darted from the window to his face. "What has roots—taller than—Loki, that's a riddle from _The Hobbit._ A mountain." She frowned at him confusedly, uncomprehending.

Loki smiled in triumph. "Very good."

Naomi blinked at him blankly. "Um… care to _explain_ yourself, or…?" She failed to see the point in Loki rattling off an old riddle that everyone knew the answer to.

Loki lie back on the bed again and patted the mattress next to him for her to lie back as well. "Naomi, you didn't even notice the thunder this time," Loki informed her. "You were too distracted by the riddle to notice that you were talking right over it." He was honestly relieved at the revelation. She hadn't noticed, too focused on other things…. Like the riddle. Perfect. Not that he didn't _enjoy_ Naomi flinging herself into his arms… he just _really_ didn't appreciate seeing her terrified and crying. Not when he was here to help her through it… and helping her through it was exactly what his plan was.

Naomi glanced to the window again, a little stunned. It was true. She hadn't heard the thunder following that last lightning flash. "Oh," she said faintly before sinking back on the mattress. Their feet remained dangling off the side of the bed as they lay across it, their heads resting somewhere in the middle of the bed. "I hadn't even noticed," she said in wonder.

"I know," Loki's voice was tinged with smug satisfaction. "Your turn now."

Naomi turned her head to give him a wry look. "Are we really doing this again? Back to battles of wits?" She smiled fondly at the memory of their first riddle contest, which had ended in… well, it wasn't a draw. She had decided that she had won. Loki still wasn't convinced on that point. But their riddles were really the first way that they had _connected._ A starting point for the relationship that now existed.

"Evidently. Go on. Unless you're afraid that you won't be able to best me at a game of riddles," he mocked, knowing she wouldn't be able to resist the bait.

Naomi grinned. "You wish, Loki. What is at the end of a rainbow?"

"A 'W'," he scoffed. "Are we seriously going back to the most basic riddles? Are you out of practice?"

"Give me a riddle, and we'll see," Naomi challenged, propping her head on an elbow and giving him a haughty look.

"Very well," he smirked. "What breaks, but doesn't fall?"

"Day," she answered promptly. "What falls but doesn't break?"

"Night," he responded. "If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you no longer have me. What am I?"

"A boyfriend," Naomi sighed tragically, shaking her head.

The look of confusion on Loki's face was priceless. "…What…?"

Naomi giggled. "I'm just kidding. A secret, Loki. A secret. I wouldn't want to share you, anyway." She poked his shoulder playfully.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Your turn." He wanted to keep this going for as long as possible. It almost seemed like Naomi had forgotten the power was out, and that lightning flashed and thunder rumbled outside. The longer they could keep this up, the more likely it was that Naomi wouldn't relapse into her panic-stricken state.

 _And she will be loved_

 _And she will be loved_

"Fine," Naomi sighed and tapped the mattress thoughtfully. "Hmm… Okay, here's a more complicated one. Ready?"

"Oh, Naomi, the question is if _you're_ ready," Loki challenged. "Do your worst."

"As you wish," Naomi smiled. "I can run swiftly and silently when you want me to stay still, I can move slowly and cautiously and am yours to fill. You look at me often and yet you always forget me, I am the most feared killer, yet you can't live without me. Sometimes you have me for all to spare, yet when you need me, I am not there. You can waste me, or cherish me, you choose the track, but once you're done you can never get me back. What am I, oh God of Mischief?"

"Simple. My girlfriend," Loki said without missing a beat.

"Oh, ha, ha," Naomi rolled her eyes. "Fun _ny_."

"Think about it," Loki said reasonably. "It all fits… mine to cherish… once you're gone, I'll never get you back…" He smiled brightly at her unimpressed glare. He chuckled. "Time. The answer is time."

"Very good," Naomi smirked. "Your turn."

"What has one eye but cannot see?" Loki asked.

"Nick Fury!" Naomi announced, sitting straight up and giving Loki the straightest and most serious face he had ever seen—rivalling the director she spoke about.

Loki couldn't help himself, and he started cracking up. "Fury?"

Naomi beamed and lay back down again. "Well, no, but it's funnier than smeg to think of it that way." She snuggled closer to him and lay her head on his chest, smiling to herself when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "If you want the real answer, it's a needle."

"I think I actually like your answer better," Loki commented offhandedly. "Though I think an even better answer is Odin Allfather."

Naomi snickered. "Nice. Is it my turn again?"

"Mmhmm." Loki pretended he hadn't just closed his eyes and savored the feeling of Naomi cuddled close, her hair tickling his chin slightly and the weight of her head on his sternum, and the feeling of her chest rising and falling against his.

"A cloud is my mother, the wind is my father. My son is the cool stream, and my daughter is the fruit of the land. A rainbow is my bed, the earth my final resting place. What am I?" she asked quietly.

"Rain," he breathed out.

She nodded. "Mmhmm. Which, I might add, is still going strong outside. Your turn."

Loki smiled faintly. "I have four legs, one head, and one foot. What am I?"

"A bed," she answered without even thinking.

"Mhmm. Which I think is where we should go," Loki informed her. He had known that riddle was far too easy. But he knew that both he and Naomi were getting too tired to continue this. "Your thoughts?"

"My sentiments exactly," Naomi agreed in a mumble. "Tired."

"Me, too," he sighed.

Neither of them moved, Loki still laying across his bed and Naomi cradled against him.

"Wait, does that mean I actually have to get up?" Naomi moaned, shifting slightly in preparation to sit up and make the trek back to her own room.

"You don't have to move," Loki's hand tightened on her shoulder. "The power's still out, and your room will be dark."

 _I know where you hide alone in your car_

 _Know all of the things that make you who you are_

 _I know that goodbye means nothing at all_

 _Comes back and makes me catch her every time she falls_

Naomi smiled sleepily and settled herself against him again. "Yeah, you're right," she conceded gratefully, happy for a legitimate excuse to remain where she was. "Thank you, Loki."

"You're welcome, I suppose. If you have to be. Since apparently that's the societal convention of your realm.," Loki sighed exaggeratedly.

"Don't be mean," she giggled, poking his ribs.

"It's in my job description," he replied mildly. "Now go to sleep and cease your poking."

"Make me."

"Challenge accepted." He tucked a finger under her chin and lifted her face up to his, gently pressing his lips against hers. The contact lasted only for a lingering moment, but it was enough to make the teasing mood around them vanish. " _Now_ go to sleep, Naomi," he said in a hushed voice.

"Okay," she whispered tiredly, placing another kiss on his cheek before laying against his chest again. "I love you, Loki," she murmured. "Good night."

"I love you, too, Naomi. Good night."

00000

"Excellent news, everybody," Tony Stark announced at the top of his lungs as he stepped out of his bedroom the next morning. "I got the arc reactor back online! Jarvis shut it down to avoid the danger of lightning hitting it!" He looked up and down the hall. No one else seemed to be particularly thrilled with this news, because nobody even poked their heads out of their room to respond to this revelation.

Sighing, Tony went down the hall to the first door and knocked loudly.

At first there was no response, and then a slight groan and a voice. "…Just a second, please!" Steve's voice came.

Tony impatiently didn't wait just a second please and instead threw the door open wide. "Morning, sunshine!" he announced jovially. "Power's back on!"

Steve jumped a foot in the air and fumbled with the tie of the robe he had been putting on over his pajamas to answer the door. He gaped at Stark, who stood shamelessly a few steps inside the doorway. "Stark!" he exclaimed. "You can't just barge into someone's room like that without them opening the door first! Didn't you hear me say to wait a second?! Just _wait_ next time! It's bad manners to just waltz in!" He finished tying his robe and then ushered Tony out the door hastily. Once Tony was again in the hall, Steve leaned against the door frame of his room. "Now, _what_ did you want?"

Tony smiled, unabashed by the scolding he had just received. "I came to inform you that the arc reactor is once again online, and we are at full power. You may proceed with your day." He mock-saluted and then turned to go to the next room down the hall and spread the word.

Steve frowned slightly, staring after Tony in confusion. "…Was the power off?" he wondered faintly . He hadn't even known. He had been asleep. He just blinked a few more times and then slowly closed his door again and went back to bed.

Tony's knocking on Clint's door ended much in a similar fashion as that of Steve's. Natasha's wake-up-call and announcement of the power's restoration ended with Tony very nearly getting stabbed and then forced out of the room at gunpoint, and then the door being slammed in his face. Thor was literally impossible to be roused. Tony tried his best, shaking Thor's shoulder and shouting at him. But there was nothing else for it. He decided he would come back with a bucket of ice water after he got everyone else up. Tony went to Bruce's room and very carefully and politely woke the doctor up with a knock on his door and a soft "Brucie." The situation with the power was explained shortly after Bruce opened the door, groggy but thankfully not angry, and then Tony went to Naomi's room, thanking his lucky stars that Bruce wasn't too grumpy of a morning person, like some others could be. The last thing he needed was a rampaging Hulk around the tower at six in the morning.

His plan for waking Naomi was to do the standard knock-and-burst-in-on-them, but he paused in confusion when he came to the door. It was ajar. That wasn't like her to leave the door to her bedroom open. He jumped through the doorway and sang, " _What's new, pussycat?! Whoooaaaooooaaaoooooaaa!"_

There was nobody in the room. The bed was slightly messy, and there was a book discarded on the floor. Frowning, Tony peered around.

"Naomi?" he asked. Had she already gotten up? Sure, she was an early bird, but could she really already be up? Hmm… he turned to move on. He'd figure it out. For now, though, he had to wake up Loki, and then go get a bucket of ice water to wake Thor up.

He considered. How did he want to wake Loki up? Did he want to spend the day being hated or tolerated? He contemplated his options. Hated. He went to throw open the door and begin singing _Hate (I Really Don't Like You)_ by the Plain White Tees, but stopped dead when he saw that _Loki's_ door was open as well, but only a crack. What was going on here? How could he have left his door open? Loki _always_ closed tight the door to his room. Hmm.

What the hell. He'd burst in anyway. Tony threw open the door.

 _"Hate is a strong word, but I really, really, really don't like you!"_ he sang as he threw the door open so hard it bounced off the wall behind it. But then the billionaire stopped dead and gaped at the sight before him.

Naomi and Loki were startled from sleep when Tony barged into the room, singing loudly and obnoxiously. Then sat bolt upright, trying to get their bearings and remember exactly where they were. And then they _did_ remember their situation.

Tony stared as Loki and Naomi disentangled themselves from each other, Loki hastily withdrawing his arm from around Naomi's shoulders, and Naomi scooted to a safe distance from Loki in the blink of an eye. Tony's mouth was in an 'O' of surprise, and at first he was speechless. "Ah… didn't realize I was _interrupting something…"_

"Just sleep," Naomi snapped, her face a deep magenta.

"Who said you could burst into my room, Stark?" Loki said bitingly, standing up quickly to avoid the further awkwardness of still technically being on a bed with Naomi.

"Ah…" Tony said eloquently. "Um… the fact that this tower technically is named after me, and so therefore I hold jurisdiction over what happens in it?" He paused. "And _how did I not know you two were sleeping together?!"_

"It's not like that!" Loki and Naomi protested, flushing even brighter shades of pink than they already had been (which was rather impressive).

"Naomi couldn't sleep, and—"

"Stupid power went off—"

"Riddles—"

"Thunder—"

"Fell asleep—"

"Nothing wrong with—"

"Just helping—"

"Absolute _smeghead—"_

Tony held up his hands. "Naoki, Naoki, goodness, don't be so _defensive!_ It was _adorable,_ it was just unexpected." He grinned. "Certainly, I'd _love_ to hear the details of exactly what transpired last night, but at least just talk one at a time…" he raised his eyebrows.

Loki and Naomi glanced awkwardly at each other.

"…The storm and the power going out frightened Naomi, so she came to my room and we talked for a bit and then we fell asleep," Loki said calmly. "That's all."

"…Right. So you were just helping her to weather the storm," Tony said slowly, quirking an eyebrow.

"Precisely," Naomi said flatly. "Next time you plan on making faulty technology that may or may not end in the power going out in the middle of a storm, resulting in thunder and pitch blackness together, please tell me so I can have some candles or something ready."

Tony opened his mouth to respond, and then he paused, looking affronted. "…Actually, Jarvis just turned off the arc reactor because he thought the lightning and stuff might cause a power overload or something if it got hit. So…"

"Get out, Stark," Loki sighed, glaring mutinously at the billionaire.

"…I originally came in here to tell you the power's back on," Tony added helpfully.

"We noticed," the two said in unison.

Tony grinned and then left the room. "…Kay. You can go back to snuggling, then." He wiggled his fingers at them in farewell and then left.

Loki huffed in irritation and slammed the door behind the man before just glaring at the closed door angrily.

Naomi sighed, stood, and crossed over to Loki. She draped an arm around his shoulders reassuringly. "…Don't worry about him. We'll get him back someday."

Loki snorted.

"…Snuggling with me is _not_ the worst thing you've been caught doing," Naomi pointed out. "You were actually _pinning me to the floor_ once. And once you were kneeling in front of me with your hands on a golden ring on my finger _. And then there was that time where we were kissing outside Shawarma._ Plus the time you, you know, tried to take over the world." She added this last like it was an afterthought, and not nearly as terrible as the others she had mentioned.

Loki scoffed. "I suppose you're right."

"Of course I'm right. I'm always right."

"Untrue."

"Totally true."

"Keep telling yourself that, Naomi."

"I will."

"And don't you dare ever stay alone in your room the next time there's a storm. Just… come to my room first thing next time." He was still looking at the door when he said it, not meeting her eyes. The way he said the words was slightly unsure, almost tentative, as if she would actually reject the offer of comfort next time.

She smiled slightly. "…First thing?"

"First thing," he confirmed. "No need to wait until the power goes out to come over. We can do more riddles or play Choice of the Dragon, or just talk. Keep you distracted and all."

"Okay. Next time there's a storm, I'll come to your room first thing," she murmured

For the first time, Loki looked away from the closed door and looked at the young woman by his side. He smiled crookedly. "Alright, then."

She stood on tiptoe and pulled him down for a quick kiss, and he pulled her close.

"Love you," Loki murmured.

Naomi felt happiness glow in her chest. "Love you, too. Let's go find some breakfast or something."

They then proceeded to leave the room and head out to the kitchen, questing for breakfast that consisted of something besides Thor's beloved Pop-Tarts.

 _Tap on my window, knock on my door_

 _I want to make you feel beautiful._

 _I don't mind spending every day_

 _Out on your corner in the pouring rain_

 _Look for the girl with the broken smile_

 _Ask her if she wants to stay a while_

 _And she will be loved_

 _And she will be loved_

 **Note from LoquaciousQuibbler: Can I tell you a secret? I had really wanted to write something with** _ **She Will Be Loved**_ **and Naoki for a while. My original thought was actually to make a Helikaraoke of this exact story, except we would have Loki singing some kind of tweaked lyrics for** _ **She Will Be Loved.**_ **But for some reason I couldn't bring myself to parody** _ **She Will Be Loved,**_ **so I just wrote a little kind of songfic.**

 **And lol the return of the riddles! I missed Naomi and Loki teasing each other's intelligence with riddles… lovely little throwback to their meeting. That nostalgia, though.**

 **Lol anyways. I hope you enjoyed this, and actually… can I tell you another secret? *beckons you closer with a finger* *whispers conspiratorially* Naomi and Loki are gonna get Stark back in the next chapter ;)**

 **Please favorite, follow, and review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Cheating is Winning Cleverly

Naomi groaned, looking at the screen of her phone as she sat on the couch in the Stark Tower living room. She threw her phone on the cushion next to her and put her head between her knees.

Across the room, Loki looked up from the book he was reading to look at her. "Something vexes thee?" he raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly.

She raised her head minutely and glared at him. "What was your first clue?" she asked bitterly.

He suppressed his smile and stood to go and sit next to her. "Well, _elska_ , the first clue was—"

"It was rhetorical, Loki," she snapped huffily, leaning back against the couch cushion.

Loki sat down and gave her a questioning look.

Naomi sighed. "Sorry, Loki… just…" She picked up her phone and tapped the screen a few times. " _Here."_ She held it out to him.

He took it tentatively and peered at the screen. Naomi watched his face intently. Loki's face twisted into a grimace… and then into a frown… then a glare. And then he groaned and threw the phone onto the cushion next to him. He then sighed and put his head between his knees.

"Something vexes thee?" Naomi asked mockingly.

Loki gave her a dirty look. "Very funny."

"Told you," she said haughtily.

"You told me nothing," he accused. "Now… what are we going to do?"

"About the fact that Tony Stark posted a picture of us snuggling and reading _Pride and Prejudice_ together?" Naomi asked blankly.

He merely nodded. "What shall we do?" he asked seriously.

She tapped her chin. "…I know I'm supposed to have kind of gotten over this and all… but I think it's time that I get obsessed with getting revenge."

Loki perked up slightly. "Are you saying that we're going to hunt him down and cause Tony Stark a new kind of excruciating, painful torture the likes of which he's never felt before? Are we going to make sure he understands the pain he's caused us, and that he regrets what he's done? Are we going to make sure he has nothing in his world but pain when he dies? Are we going to make him beg us for death?" he almost sounded excited.

Naomi blinked and stared. "Did you just… quote… _me?"_

 _Loki nodded briskly. "You. When you stood outside my cell on the Helicarrier, explaining to me your fear of revenge and the way it can take over someone's life, explaining what you would have liked to have done to Dr. Moreau—"_

Naomi reached forward and put a finger to his lips. "Got it. First of all, it's creepy that you remember my little rant word for word…"

Loki grinned and batted her hand away. "What can I say? It was captivating to listen to."

Naomi rolled her eyes. "And _secondly,_ we're not going to kill Stark. We'll have to get revenge some other way. Remember how that went _last time_ we all tried to kill him?"

They mused over the memory of the failed Operation: Avenge Our Money as well as the "Counting Stars" parody.

"Fine. So what shall we do?" Loki asked.

"Humiliate him," Naomi nodded. "Humiliate him beyond belief." She considered and then looked at him. "What's the most humiliating situation you've ever been in?"

Loki gave her a look. "… _Besides_ the picture posted online of us snuggling and reading _Pride and Prejudice_ together?"

Naomi rolled her eyes. "You and I both know blackmailing Tony with pictures of him and Pepper won't work. What else?"

Loki looked thoughtful. "…Failure to take over the Earth wasn't my finest moment…"

"Except Stark's not trying to take over the world," Naomi muttered.

Suddenly both of them froze. They looked at each other… and grinned wickedly.

00000

The next day, Naomi and Loki sat at the coffee table, bent over a board game.

"You sure about this?" Loki asked dubiously.

Naomi surveyed the board. "Positive. Seriously. This will be a game of epic proportions if we do this right. Oh, by the way," she added, glancing up at the god. "Don't make it _too_ obvious… but make it devastating beyond compare. Can you do that?"

Loki blinked. "…I think so, yes. Are you sure you can bait him into playing?"

Naomi grinned. "…I think so. Don't you know how marvelous an actress I am?" she struck a dramatic pose, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead and leaning back gracefully.

Loki rolled his eyes and then glanced towards the living room door. "…Naomi, he's coming. Assume the position."

They leaned over the board and Naomi held up a card, a die, and a small metal car, as if she were explaining their purposes. "And so…"

Tony Stark sauntered into the room and stopped dead. "Uhhh, should I be taking another picture and posting it online? Naoki learning to play board games?"

Loki decided to leave this to Naomi… his part in the revenge would come later.

Naomi looked at the billionaire and gave him a death glare. "Yeah, no, I'd appreciate you _not_ continue blackmailing us with pictures."

He snickered. "I can switch to videos if you want… I've still got your guys' kiss outside Shawarma on file…"

"Shut up, Stark. If you're such a genius, then you'd quit making fun of us before me and Loki decide to get revenge," she raised her eyebrows threateningly.

Loki flashed her a look. What was Naomi doing? Was she somehow blowing their cover?

"I think I can avoid whatever revenge you guys throw at me," Stark scoffed. "I _am_ a genius, after all."

Naomi rolled her eyes. "Please. You couldn't figure your way out of a paper bag."

"And you think _you_ can, compared to me?" Tony challenged.

Naomi smirked. "Smegging right I can." She smiled and taunted, "Anything you can do, I can do better!"

"No, you can't!" Stark taunted back.

"Yes, I can!"

"No, you can't, no, you can't!" Stark finished imperiously.

Naomi grinned. "Stark, you couldn't beat me at a game of Monopoly." She glanced down at the game board on the table.

Stark quirked his eyebrows and took a few steps more into the room. He glanced from the Monopoly board to Naomi, sitting on the couch next to Loki. "Really? You're challenging the owner of a multi-billion dollar business to a game of monopoly?"

Naomi nodded.

Tony smirked broadly and plopped on the couch across from Naomi. "You're on, Hello Kitty."

Naomi and Loki glanced at each other and smirked.

00000

It started out, as most board games do, with the rolling of a single die to see who went first.

"Ladies first," Tony handed the little cube over to Naomi, who took it, shook it, and tossed it.

Loki, Naomi, and Tony leaned forward to see what it rolled out to.

"Two," Stark snickered. "I'm gonna go first, then."

"Toss the die, Tony," Naomi handed the little cube over to the billionaire as she threw Loki a slight glare. The god of mischief merely raised his eyebrows innocently and gave her a tiny smile, as if to say, 'just wait.'

Stark tossed the die, and once again, everyone leaned forward eagerly to see the result.

Naomi grinned triumphantly. "Why, Tony, I've never seen such a sad little die before… one. Suppose that means I'll be going first," she winked as Tony looked devastated.

"But… but…" Tony whined. "That's so messed up… you had a two… I was sure…"

Loki shook his head tragically. "Ah, well, Stark… I'm sure things will look up for you. We haven't even started the game yet. I'm sure things will get better from here on out."

But a few turns in, things were most definitely _not_ getting better. So far, Tony had had the amazing luck of landing only on single properties (no railroads, utilities, or any other color groups), and Naomi already owned one railroad and one utility, along with a single property.

As Tony pulled a card and gaped, he said, "How is this even _possible?!"_

"How is what possible?" Naomi and Loki asked in unison.

"I'm going to jail?!" Tony exclaimed.

"What did you do, Tony?!" someone cried in horror. The other three looked up quickly to see Steve Rogers standing in the doorway to the room with Thor.

"…What?" Tony asked blankly.

"You're going to jail?" Steve asked worriedly. "I told you, iTunes just didn't seem right… I mean, it's got to be illegal… I was told downloading music was not legal, but you wouldn't listen Stark, and—"

Naomi and Tony rolled their eyes.

"First of all, Spangles, iTunes is totally legal," Tony cut in. "Second of all, I'm not literally going to jail. We're playing Monopoly."

Thor and Steve blinked, then walked over to the coffee table to examine it.

Steve brightened. "Oh, Monopoly!" He sat down next to Tony. "Can I play? I know how."

"No!" Tony exclaimed. "Naomi and I are locked in a battle of wits to find out which of us is superior!"

Loki tossed a pillow at Stark, hitting him squarely in the face. "Naomi only has battles of wits with me. You, she simply pulverizes."

Naomi snickered. "Aww… that's so… cute…?" she raised an eyebrow. "In a really weird way?"

Steve suddenly didn't look so brightened anymore. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked between Naomi and Loki sitting across from him and Tony.

Naomi just cleared her throat and looked away. "Tony, aren't you supposed to be in jail? Aren't you supposed to not pass go and not collect $200?"

Tony grumbled and moved his little metal car to the jail.

Meanwhile, Loki just pretended not to notice Steve throwing him dirty looks. "It's your turn, Naomi. Roll the dice."

Twenty minutes later, there was quite a crowd gathered in the living room, watching the game.

Naomi was actually managing to beat Tony, somehow, much to everyone's surprise.

Tony groaned loudly as he rolled the dice and got a two, ending up landing on his own property that he had already bought... therefore not having to pay or buy. "How is this possible?" he asked huffily. "I need a freaking seven! There are _so many_ ways to get a seven! How do I not get a freaking seven?! The probability is just… so… _there! I mean, there's only one way_ to get a two, and I happen to roll it? _"_

Bruce frowned, looking over the board. "It does seem kind of weird… I mean, Naomi has managed to roll some pretty amazing coincidences here… she's landed nearly all the color groups, rolled doubles to get out of jail, pulled some pretty lucky cards, not landed on any of Tony's rather limited houses… hm."

Everyone looked to Naomi, as if she could explain the phenomena.

She threw her hands in the air with a grin. "Hey, what can I say? I'm just a lucky girl! It's not like I rigged the dice… I mean, Tony and I are using the same dice, right? And Tony's the one who shuffled the cards. Not me."

Everyone shrugged and continued to watch the game progress.

After a long while, Naomi was starting to build a decent monopoly, but Tony was still hanging on. Clint suddenly cleared his throat.

"You know, you guys… it's become tradition for us to bet on stuff… but Tony usually starts the betting pool. Since he's the one we're actually betting on here…" he looked around the room with a cocky grin. "Bets, anyone?"

"I've got twenty bucks on Tony making a comeback and crushing Naomi into the dust," Natasha announced.

Naomi turned and glared mutinously at the other woman, offended, while Tony grinned broadly. "Thanks, Agent Romanoff," he mock-saluted, and Natasha rolled her eyes.

Bruce placed a bet on Tony, saying that technically, despite his bad luck so far, mathematics were on the billionaire's side. Thor (despite having no money) said that Naomi would win. Steve also said he believed Naomi had the guts and brains to win against Tony (earning a death glare from Loki and an awkward throat-clearing from Naomi). Clint himself said he was really hoping Naomi beat Tony, because Tony was always such a—

Well, Naomi would have used the word "smeghead" rather than Clint's particular word choice…

And still the game dragged on. Naomi continued to be very lucky, pulling off dice rolls that astounded Banner and Stark with their improbability, and Tony always managed to roll just over or under what he needed.

"This is crazy!" Tony whined as he landed on one of Naomi's hotels and was forced to cough up $780. "That's like, a third of my money now!"

"And whose fault is it that they didn't invest in a couple light blue properties when they had the chance?" Naomi taunted.

Tony jabbed his finger at her. " _Yours! YOU BOUGHT THEM ALL, YOU LITTLE-!"_

"Whoa! Tony, cool it!" Clint exclaimed, laughing his head off at the same time.

Everyone snickered at Tony's outburst except for Bruce, Natasha, and Steve… the first two because they each had twenty dollars riding on Stark's winning, and Steve because he was just too nice.

"Well…" Naomi looked carefully at the game board. "I think we're pretty close to the end here." She smirked towards her enemy.

Tony looked over the board as well. "I can still win," he muttered.

Everyone raised their eyebrows. "Oh, yeah? How?"

"All I need to do is…" Tony looked around the board. "All I need to do is… um…"

"All you need to do is grow another head, another set of arms, and manage to go an entire day without making one snide comment," Loki said brightly. "So… impossible." He gave Tony an overly-friendly smile.

"Shut up, Loki," Tony snapped.

Naomi and Loki both just chuckled evilly.

"What kind of genius loses a game of Monopoly?" Naomi teased. "I mean, what kind of multi-billion company-owning businessman are you?"

Tony growled. "Quiet, Pussycat Doll. I've got to roll." He picked up the dice, shook them, and tossed.

Thor narrowed his eyes, watching intently as the dice rolled to a stop. The god of thunder's blue eyes flicked to Loki's fingers… then back to the dice… he could have sworn he saw the tiniest flick of Loki's hands, and a nearly-imperceptible twinkle of green on the dice.

The dice rolled to a stop, and Tony groaned. "I swear, I am _not_ going back to jail!"

Naomi laughed out loud. "Well, Tony, unless you have a 'get out of jail free' card…" she paused and looked over her small stack of various cards. "Wait, no… I have all of them!" she cackled.

Thor frowned, pieces starting to click into place…

Two more turns passed, in which Naomi managed to avoid landing on Tony's houses, and Tony failed to roll doubles to get out of jail. And both times the players rolled, Loki wiggled his fingers the tiniest bit, and there was the tiniest glimmer of green on the dice.

Tony groaned as he failed yet again to roll doubles. "What are the odds here?!" he exclaimed.

And it wasn't long before, finally, Tony was forced to hand over the very last of his money to Naomi's outstretched hand.

"Ha!" Naomi cried in triumph. "Tony, you have been beaten by a young woman who has never done a day of real business in her life! So much for the genius of owning a multi-billion dollar company and creating technological wonders!"

Loki grinned and inconspicuously tapped the screen of Naomi's phone, which had been sitting on the table throughout the entire game.

Tony flushed bright red. "But… I don't understand… how could I have had such bad luck with the dice rolls and-?"

Thor finally stood up. "Loki! I know what tricks you are up to!" he pointed at his brother, who froze. "You have been enchanting the dice to roll in Naomi's favor! And making sure that Friend Stark loses!"

Everyone looked to Loki, eyes widened.

Loki, at first, looked like a deer in headlights. Then he scoffed. "Thor, do you really think I would do something so juvenile as to rig a game of Monopoly that makes Stark look like a fool for losing?"

Tony went pale for a moment, but then he turned slowly to the god of mischief, comprehension dawning on him. He looked outraged. " _You're… telling… me… that… YOU'VE BEEN CHEATING?!"_

Naomi looked at Loki in horror and scooped the dice off the coffee table. _"Loki! YOU GAVE ME LOADED DICE?!"_ she demanded angrily. She turned to the other Avengers imploringly. " _He gave me loaded dice!"_

Loki jumped up, looking affronted. He pointed at Naomi. " _You dare impugn my honor?!"_ he looked at the Avengers. " _She_ was the one who was cheating!"

Tony rose slowly from his spot on the couch. " _Quoting Road to Eldorado will not get you two out of this! How dare you cheat me at Monopoly and make me look like a fool!"_

Naomi and Loki looked at each other triumphantly and grinned.

Naomi dipped into a little bow. "Cheating, my dear Tony, is the loser's way of saying 'winning cleverly.' Now, if you'd excuse us…" she grabbed onto Loki's hand. "We've got this awesome little video recording of our entire game to plaster all over the Internet!" she held up her cell phone with a wicked grin, and then she and Loki disappeared.

The other Avengers were left stunned.

"Wait… so they were working together…?" Bruce asked. "So… they rigged the game with Loki's magic so that Naomi would win… and then took a video of the whole game so they could post it on the internet… and then…"

"And now the whole world will see proof of Tony Stark as a loser who can't even win a game of Monopoly! He'll be humiliated," Clint said delightedly. "That is _epic!"_ he punched a fist into the air. "So who wins the bet?"

"No one!" Tony exclaimed. "Naomi didn't win fairly! She cheated!"

Clint grinned. "According to Naomi… she just won _cleverly."_

Everyone's phone dinged as there was a Facebook alert. They slipped their phones out of their respective pockets and saw that there was a new video posted to Naomi's page, with Tony Stark tagged in it. The video was titled: Sweet, Sweet, Sweet Revenge. And the comment was:

Tony Stark, This will go viral and get a billion more likes and shares than our little picture. ~Naoki

Tony ran out of the room, screeching, " _I am hacking into her account right now and erasing it before anyone can share or like that video!"_

The others looked at each other, grinned, and liked and shared the video.


End file.
